Placobdelloides siamensis | |
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Placobdelloides siamensis: left, dorsal view; right: ventral view. | |
Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Annelida |
Clade: | Pleistoannelida |
Clade: | Sedentaria |
Class: | Clitellata |
Subclass: | Hirudinea |
Order: | Rhynchobdellida |
Family: | Glossiphoniidae |
Genus: | Placobdelloides |
Species: | P. siamensis
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Binomial name | |
Placobdelloides siamensis (Oka, 1917) Sawyer, 1986
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Synonyms | |
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Placobdelloides siamensis is a species of blood-feeding jawless leech in the family Glossiphoniidae. [1] [2] It is commonly known as the Siam shield leech and is a prevalent ectoparasite on Malayemys turtles but has a range of Geoemydidae hosts. In high numbers it can cause severe anaemia and malnutrition which can lead to the death of its host. [3]
The species was first described as Hemiclepsis siamensis by Oka in 1917 [1] then transferred by Sawyer to his new genus Placobdelloides in 1986. [2] In 2018, it was redescribed from specimens collected in Thailand. [4]
The type host is the Black Marsh Turtle, Siebenrockiella crassicollis. Other hosts include the Southeast Asian Box Turtle, Cuora amboinensis, the Yellow-headed Temple Turtle, Heosemys annandalii, the Mekong Snail-eating Turtle Malayemys subtrijuga, the Malayan Snail-eating Turtle Malayemys macrocephala, the Khorat Snail-eating Turtle Malayemys khoratensis, Oldham's lead turtle Cyclemys oldhamii and the giant Asian pond turtle Heosemys grandis. [3]
this study also showed two new hosts, including Cyclemys oldhamii and Heosemys grandis