Description of a new haemadipsid species of genus Chtonobdella from Ranomafana National Park using micro-computed tomography
Keywords:
Leech, new species, Haemadipsidae, sp. nov., Madagascar, cox1 molecular barcoding, Duognathous leeches, iDNAAbstract
The terrestrial blood feeding leeches of Madagascar represent an understudied group with recent evidence for cryptic diversity. By combining genetic and morphological data including cox1 molecular barcoding and micro-computed tomography (mCT) imaging, we present evidence for the presence of a new species in the genus Chtonobdella Grube, 1866. This description includes, for the first time, mCT rendering of known leech species from Madagascar, which were previously described solely by dissection.
Résumé
Les sangsues terrestres hématophages de Madagascar constituent un groupe qui reste encore peu étudié en même temps que des indices récents pointent vers une diversité cryptique. En combinant des données génétiques et morphologiques, incluant le codage moléculaire par le gène cox1 et l’imagerie par micro-tomodensitométrie (µCT), nous apportons des éléments attestant de la présence d’une nouvelle espèce au sein du genre Chtonobdella Grube, 1866. Cette description inclut, pour la première fois, une visualisation µCT d’espèces de sangsues connues de Madagascar, auparavant décrites uniquement par dissection.
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