New Records of Lake Baikal Leech Fauna: Species Diversity and Spatial Distribution in Chivyrkuy Gulf

Abstract

The study of several Lake Baikal leech collections offered us the possibility to determine species diversity in the Chivyrkuy Gulf, the biggest one in the lake. As a result, the first information on the Chivyrkuy Hirudinea fauna (Annelida, Clitellata) has been revealed. There are two orders and four families of leeches in the Chivyrkuy Gulf: order Rhynchobdellida (families Glossiphoniidae and Piscicolidae) and order Arhynchobdellida (families Erpobdellidae and Haemopidae). In total, 22 leech species and 2 subspecies belonging to 11 genera were identified. Of these, 4 taxa belong to the family Glossiphoniidae (G. concolor, A. hyalina, A. heteroclita f. papillosa, and A. heteroclita f. striata) recorded in Baikal for the first time. Representatives of 8 unidentified species (Glossophinia sp., Baicaloclepsis sp., Baicalobdella sp., Piscicola sp. 1, Piscicola sp. 2, Erpobdella sp. 1, Erpobdella sp. 2, and Erpobdella sp. 3) have been also recorded. The checklist gives a contemporary overview of the species composition of leech parasites, their hosts, and distribution within the Chivyrkuy Gulf. The analysis of spatial distribution has shown that the leech species diversity is correlated with the biological productivity of the bay. The most diverse community of leech species is detected in the eutrophic zone of the lake.

Species delimitation through DNA barcoding of freshwater leeches of theGlossiphoniagenus (Hirudinea: Glossiphoniidae) from Eastern Siberia, Russia

“…On the positive side, a vague morphological description may induce revisionary work leading to the discovery of sibling species indistinguishable from the nominal taxon in question (e.g., Grosser et al, 2016; Košel, 1973). Thus, the diagnostic characters of G. complanata fit almost any varieties of the Siberian Glossiphonia , with the exception of G. concolor (Apathy, 1888) found in Lake Baikal (Kaygorodova & Pronin, 2013), and Glossiphonia sp. from Lake Gusinoe (Kaygorodova, Mandzyak, Petryaeva, & Pronin, 2014).…”

“…Despite the rising interest in this group and the emergence of studies devoted to molecular evolution and systematics of leeches (e.g., de Carle, Oceguera‐Figueroa, Tessler, Siddall, & Kvist, 2017; Kaygorodova & Mandzyak, 2014; Moser, Richardson, & Hammond, 2012; Moser, Richardson, Hammond, & Lazo‐Wasem, 2011; Oceguera‐Figueroa, León‐Règagnon, & Siddall, 2011; Perez‐Flores, Rueda‐Calderon, Kvist, Siddall, & Oceguera‐Figueroa, 2016), the biodiversity of this annelid group is still considered understudied, especially in the Asian part of the Palaearctic. Currently, species composition of this leech group inhabiting Eastern Siberia, including the unique species of Baikal, consists of 15 species (Kaygorodova, 2012, 2015; Kaygorodova, Dzyuba, & Sorokovikova, 2013; Kaygorodova & Pronin, 2013; Kaygorodova & Utevsky, 2012). However, the insufficient number of taxonomically important morphological features hampers their determination and often leads to the formation of polytypic species that represent a flawed taxonomic system.…”

Genetic Diversity of Freshwater Leeches in Lake Gusinoe (Eastern Siberia, Russia)

“…This leech has been detected for the first time in Lake Gusinoe area. Recently, it has been reported in Lake Baikal [ 26 , 27 ]. This is a small-sized leech (length up to 8 mm) with a special body coloration differing from a widespread species Piscicola geometra .…”

First data on the Hirudinea fauna of lotic ecosystems of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area (Russia)

“…Distributed in northern, central, and eastern Europe ( Nesemann and Neubert 1999 ). There is information about its occurrence in Iran ( Darabi-Darestani et al 2016 ) and occasionally in Eastern Siberia ( Kaygorodova and Pronin 2013 ).…”