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Pontobdella muricata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Pontobdella muricata is a marine fish leech from the family Piscicolidae. It is a parasite of fish, mainly rays and plaice, and is found in the northeastern Atlantic, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the Mediterranean. The fish leech is found on the gills, abdomen and base of the host's fins, where it feeds by sucking blood.
During the day Pontobdella muricata is quiet, remaining motionless and partially curled up, attached to its rear suction cup, but becomes active at night when feeding. The leech can separate from its host and swim by flattening its body. Pontobdella muricata is an intermediate host for the protozoan Trypanosoma raiae, which it carries in its intestines and transmits to the rays.
Pontobdella muricata is a long, cylindrical, somewhat flattened leech that narrows at both ends. The front end has a suction cup that it uses to feed, and the back end carries another suction cup that the leech uses to attach itself to its host. The skin is rough and covered with small warts. The color varies; Juveniles are usually black or dark green with small speckles, while adult flukes are pale gray, brown or olive green.
Like all leeches, the ray leech is a hermaphrodite and fertilization occurs internally. The eggs pass through the clitellum, where each is surrounded by a spherical cocoon. These hang from empty mussel or snail shells on the seabed and are initially pale but become darker as they age. They are often arranged irregularly in groups, each having a slender, twisted stalk connecting them to a spreading, membranous bracket. The ball is filled with a thick, gelatinous material in which the developing embryo is coiled in a spiral. When it is nearly an inch long and ready to hatch, two small, rounded projections drop off the side of the ball, allowing the young leech to emerge and then find a suitable host fish.
Synonymised names
Hirudo muricata Linnaeus, 1758 · unaccepted (Synonym)
Pontobdella areolata Leach, 1815 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym (subjective synonym)
Pontobdella spinulosa Leach, 1815 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym (subjective synonym)
Pontobdella verrucata Leach, 1815 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Pontobdella verrucosa Leydig, 1851 · unaccepted > misspelling (perhaps a misspelling of...)
Pontobdella muricata is a marine fish leech from the family Piscicolidae. It is a parasite of fish, mainly rays and plaice, and is found in the northeastern Atlantic, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the Mediterranean. The fish leech is found on the gills, abdomen and base of the host's fins, where it feeds by sucking blood.
During the day Pontobdella muricata is quiet, remaining motionless and partially curled up, attached to its rear suction cup, but becomes active at night when feeding. The leech can separate from its host and swim by flattening its body. Pontobdella muricata is an intermediate host for the protozoan Trypanosoma raiae, which it carries in its intestines and transmits to the rays.
Pontobdella muricata is a long, cylindrical, somewhat flattened leech that narrows at both ends. The front end has a suction cup that it uses to feed, and the back end carries another suction cup that the leech uses to attach itself to its host. The skin is rough and covered with small warts. The color varies; Juveniles are usually black or dark green with small speckles, while adult flukes are pale gray, brown or olive green.
Like all leeches, the ray leech is a hermaphrodite and fertilization occurs internally. The eggs pass through the clitellum, where each is surrounded by a spherical cocoon. These hang from empty mussel or snail shells on the seabed and are initially pale but become darker as they age. They are often arranged irregularly in groups, each having a slender, twisted stalk connecting them to a spreading, membranous bracket. The ball is filled with a thick, gelatinous material in which the developing embryo is coiled in a spiral. When it is nearly an inch long and ready to hatch, two small, rounded projections drop off the side of the ball, allowing the young leech to emerge and then find a suitable host fish.
Synonymised names
Hirudo muricata Linnaeus, 1758 · unaccepted (Synonym)
Pontobdella areolata Leach, 1815 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym (subjective synonym)
Pontobdella spinulosa Leach, 1815 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym (subjective synonym)
Pontobdella verrucata Leach, 1815 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Pontobdella verrucosa Leydig, 1851 · unaccepted > misspelling (perhaps a misspelling of...)
