Placobdella bistriata

External morphology

Body lanceolate, up to approximately 57 mm in length; the ratio of total length to maximum width in the type material is 2.7, 3.8, and 3.9. Seven longitudinal dorsal rows of tubercles on annuli a1, a2, and a3—one median, two inner lateral, two outer lateral, and two marginal—with interspersed punctiform papillae. The ventral surface presents small papillae. The capitulum is formed by somites I through IV. Two eyes on II. Gonopores separated by a single annulus, XIIa2; the male gonopore is located at XII a1/a2, and the female at XIIa2/a3. Anus at XXVII. Somites I and II are uniannulate; III, IV, and V are biannulate; VI through XXIV are triannulate (or complete); XXV through XXVII are uniannulate. Color uniformly ash-brown or ochre-yellow in juveniles, with a pair of paramarginal red dots on the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the neural annuli.

Internal morphology

The pharynx forms a posterior loop—that is, it follows an ascending or recurrent course. Two pairs of oval to ovoid glands are present in XI and XII, likely esophageal in nature. Five pairs of testes.

Habitat & range

Habitat

Freshwater

Region

South America

Recorded from

Brazil