Haemadipsa rjukjuana is a species of terrestrial blood-feeding leach in the family Haemadipsidae (order Arhynchobdellida).[1] They are mostly found in Taiwan, although they have also been confirmed from Gageo Island in South Korea.[2][3]

Haemadipsa rjukjuana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Clade: Pleistoannelida
Clade: Sedentaria
Class: Clitellata
Subclass: Hirudinea
Order: Arhynchobdellida
Family: Haemadipsidae
Genus: Haemadipsa
Species:
H. rjukjuana
Binomial name
Haemadipsa rjukjuana
(Oka, 1910)
Synonyms
  • Haemapdipsa japonica var. rjukjuana Oka, 1910

Several pathogens have been reported from the leech, specifically Anaplasma, Bartonella, Borrelia, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, and Wolbachia. Haemadipsa rjukjuana was the first leech recorded to carry a Bartonella species.[3]

A 2011 study found that the species is genetically distinct from Haemadipsa japonica.[4]

Physical description

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Haemadipsa rjukjuana is distinctive for its colourations on its back, having black splotches over a reddish, yellowish, or greyish background. Another distinguishing feature of its colouration is its thoroughly black underside and the lack of a clear median stripe on its back.[4]

H. rjukjuana typically grows between 14 and 37 mm long, with a width varying between 2.5 and 5.3 mm.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Haemadipsa rjukjuana Oka, 1910". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  2. ^ Won, Sukhyun; Park, Bae Keun; Kim, Baek Jun; et al. (Apr 2014). "Molecular Identification of Haemadipsa rjukjuana (Hirudiniformes: Haemadipsidae) in Gageo Island, Korea". The Korean Journal of Parasitology. 52 (2): 169–75. doi:10.3347/kjp.2014.52.2.169. eISSN 1738-0006. ISSN 0023-4001. PMC 4028454. PMID 24850960. S2CID 7438642.
  3. ^ a b Kang, Jun-Gu; Won, Sohyun; Kim, Hye-Won; Kim, Baek-Jun; Park, Bae-Keun; Park, Tae-Seo; Seo, Hong-Yul; Chae, Joon-Seok (2016-06-07). "Molecular detection of Bartonella spp. in terrestrial leeches (Haemadipsa rjukjuana) feeding on human and animal blood in Gageo-do, Republic of Korea". Parasites & Vectors. 9 (1): 326. doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1613-3. ISSN 1756-3305. PMC 4897879. PMID 27267358.
  4. ^ a b c Lai, Yi-Te; Nakano, Takafumi; Chen, Jiun-Hong (2011-10-25). "Three species of land leeches from Taiwan, Haemadipsa rjukjuana comb. n., a new record for Haemadipsa picta Moore, and an updated description of Tritetrabdella taiwana (Oka)". ZooKeys (139): 1–22. doi:10.3897/zookeys.139.1711. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 3260908. PMID 22259307.