Phylum : Annelida
Class : Hirudinea
Genus : Hirudiniaria
Leeches are
segmented worms that belong to the phylum Annelida and comprise the subclass
Hirudinea. Like other oligochaetes,
such as earthworms, leeches share a clitellum
and are hermaphrodites.
Nevertheless, they differ from other oligochaetes in significant ways.
For example, leeches do not have bristles and the external segmentation of
their bodies does not correspond with the internal
segmentation of their organs. Their bodies are
much more solid as the spaces in their coelom
are dense with connective tissues. They also have two suckers, one at each end.
The
majority of leeches live in freshwater environments, while some species can be
found in terrestrial and marine environments, as well. Most leeches are hematophagous,
as they are predominantly blood suckers that feed on blood from vertebrate and
invertebrate animals. Almost 700 species of leeches are currently recognized,
of which some 100 are marine, 90 terrestrial and the remainder freshwater
Leeches, such as the Hirudo
medicinalis,
have been historically used in medicine to remove blood from patients. The
practice of leeching can be traced to ancient India and Greece, and continued
well into the 18th and 19th centuries in both Europe and North America. In
modern times, the practice of leeching is much rarer and has been replaced by
other contemporary uses of leeches, such as the reattachment of body parts and
reconstructive and plastic surgeries and, in Germany, treating osteoarthritis.
Some
facts about Leeches
a)
700 Known leech species
b)
Only 5 are used for
medicinal purpose
c)
It has 32 brains
d)
Leeches die after one or
to bouts of reproduction
e)
3 sets of jaw
f)
Each jaw has around 100
teeth
g)
4 to 10 hour bleeding +nt
after leech application
h)
Leeches can live up to one
year without food so you don't need to feed them
i)
Life span of leech - 10yr
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