Checklist / Glossiphoniidae / Theromyzon / Theromyzon cooperi
Theromyzon cooperi
Glossiphoniidae
External morphology
Small leech up to 26 mm. Four pairs of eyes in innerparamedian positions. General appearance green or brown. Juveniles: Striped pattern stops behind eyes, chromatophores in ocular region and posterior sucker irregularly distributed. Yellow chromatophores arranged in groups forming irregular distributed maculations on dorsum , some at positions of sensory papillae. Adults: Superficial brown pigment obscures dorsal striped pattern completely, thence uniformly greenish brown with bright yellow maculations. Ventral side in both phases always lighter in colour, only median field with slight striping. Body surface smooth. Gonophores separated by two annuli.
Internal morphology
Crop with 12 pairs of caeca. Intestine with four pairs of unlobed, tubular caeca partly overlaying post-caeca on dorsal side. Hindgut and rectal region narrow, tubular.
Habitat & range
- Habitat
- Freshwater
- Region
- Africa
- Recorded from
- South Africa
Redescription
J.H. Oosthuizen (1993) Redescription of the African duck leech Theromyzon
cooperi (Harding, 1932) (Hirudinea:Glossiphoniidae), South African Journal of Zoology, 28:2,
67-70, DOI: 10.1080/02541858.1993.11448294