Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 82. (Budapest 1990)

Nesemann, H.: Investigations on two Glossiphonia species (Hirudinea) from running waters of Central Europe with a redescription of Glossiphonia concolor (Apáthy, 1888)

ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Tomus 82. Budapest, 1990 p

. 65-74. Investigations on two Glossiphonia species (Hirudinea) from running waters of Central Europe with a redescription of Glossiphonia concolor (Apathy, 1888) by H. NESEMANN, Lorsbach/Taunus H. NESEMANN: Investigations on two Glossiphonia species (Hirudinea) from running waters in Central Europe with a redescripiion of Glossiphonia concolor (Apathy , 1888). - Annls hist.-nat. Mus, natn. hung. 1990, 82: 65-74. Abstract - Glossiphonia verrucata (FR. MÜLLER, 1844) and Glossiphonia con- color CAPÁTHY~j 1888), two nearly unknown leeches from Central Europe, were collected from a great number of localities in Hungary, Austria and Germany. The type-localities were also revisited. Both species are newly described and data to the range of variability given. G. verrucata inhabits the stream of mountainous regions, while G. concolor occurs in slowly running streams and rivers of the plains. G. verrucata is new to the Hungarian fauna, G

. concolor is new to the Danubian and Rhenanian fauna of Austria and Germany. With 22 figures. During the years of 1987-89 four taxa of the genus Glossiphonia JOHNSON were collected by the author in running waters of the rivers Rhine, Danube and in a great number of their tributaries. Two of them, Glossiphonia compla- nata (L.) and Glossiphonia paludosa CARENA, 1824, were identified unproblematically with the descriptions, given by BENNIKE (1943), DALL (1982) and SAWYER (19B6). The other two taxa are not fully in accordance with Glossiphonia verrucata (FR. MÜLLER, 1844) and Glossiphonia concolor (APATHY, 1888), which were described only on the basis of material from populations, living in the northern parts of Central Europe (AUTRUM 1958, BENNIKE 1943, DALL 1982, JOHANSSON 1929, KALBE 1965, 1966, MCCARTHY 1975, MÜLLER 1844, PAWLOWSKI 1936a, SAWYER 1986). There is not a sufficient amount of information on the regional variability in the different parts of the inhabited area. So, many authors did not distinguish between the different types of verrucata and concolor or regarded them only as two extreme forms of G. complanata (AUTRUM 1958, HOFFMANN 1955, KALBE 1966, MANN 1953, STADLER 1957). Some even believed that the descriptions of the two taxa, verrucata and concolor

, might belong to the same species (AUTRUM 1958, VERRIEST 1951). Glossiphonia concolor

, first described by APATHY (1888) from the Hungarian reaches of the Danube, was later normally considered under the name of G

. complana ta

. SOUS ( 1964) preferred to distinguish two ecological forms, one of them, f. concolor

, in standing water bodies, while others regarded the taxon concolor as a closely related subspecies (BENNIKE 1943). Finally DALL (1982) showed that G. concolor is a good and separate species. He investigated the diversity in reproduction and the general morphology of G. concolor and G

. complana ta in the lake Esrom (Denmark). Glossiphonia verrucata was first reported and described from the lake Tegeler See, a tributary water of the river Havel, by FR. MÜLLER in the year of 1844. Later, some records were published from Scandinavia, Ireland and the northern plains of Central Europe. The distribution of the verrucata type was even sporadic in Europe. There are only a few good descriptions in the literature. Often, leeches were found similar to the verrucata type, but many authors have been careful to publish them under this name, because the number of crop caeca (seven pairs) was difficult to discern.