Erpobdella
| Erpobdella | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Class: | Clitellata |
| Subclass: | Hirudinea |
| Order: | Arhynchobdellida |
| Suborder: | Erpobdelliformes |
| Family: | Erpobdellidae |
| Genus: |
Erpobdella de Blainville, 1818 |
| Type species | |
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Hirudo octoculata Linnaeus, 1758 |
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| Species | |
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See text |
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| Synonyms | |
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See text
Erpobdella is a genus of leeches in the family Erpobdellidae. Members of the genus have three or four pairs of eyes, but never have true jaws, and are typically 20–50 millimetres (0.8–2.0 in) long. All members do not feed on blood, but instead are predators of small aquatic invertebrates, which they often swallow whole.
The genus includes species previously classified under the genera Croatobranchus, Mooreobdella, Trocheta and Nephelopsis. These were synonymized into Erpobdella by Sidall (2002) after morphogenetic analysis. There are 31 currently accepted species:
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