Freshwater leech identification2/21/2023 It then secretes digestive juices that dissolve prey outside of the flatworm’s body. When it encounters prey, the flatworm extends a muscular tube called a pharynx through its mouth. The really cool thing about the terrestrial flatworm is that its mouth is on the underside of its body. Admittedly, it was Jason’s report of seeking behavior that first led me astray down the leech identification path. Similar to leeches, terrestrial flatworms show hunting behaviors – they use sensory organs near the front end of their body to detect food. Eleanor’s recent post about her dog Lucy Bea’s butt worm) but also terrestrial predators, like the one Jason and family encountered on their sidewalk. Flatworms include parasites like tapeworms (see Dr. Flatworms lack a circulatory system and a body cavity – everything moves through their tissues by diffusion. Now that you are thinking about them, I bet you remember flatworms from high school biology – they’re touted as the most primitive example of bilateral symmetry (having distinct left and right sides). Take a look at the pictures of Jason’s flatworm again – no repeating muscular segments there! Its smooth and shiny surface should have been our first clue to its identity.įlatworms belong to the Phylum Platyhelminthes. It is not a leech, it is a flatworm, probably in the family Geoplanidae.ĭoh! We missed that identification by a whole PHYLUM of life – Leeches are in the Phylum Annelida, the phylum of segmented worms, including your friendly neighborhood earthworms. Mark was kind enough to answer my query, very simply and directly. Who was this creature and why did Jason and his kids find it on the sidewalk? Mark Siddall at the American Museum of Natural History to get his opinion. So I contacted one of the world’s leading leech experts, Dr. In fact, two terrestrial leech species can be found living under rotten logs in Great Smokey Mountain National Park they eat earthworms.Īlas, the article that mentioned terrestrial leeches did not contain photos. With a little Internet sleuthing I learned that there are indeed terrestrial leeches in the eastern US. So like any good nature nut, I decided to investigate further. I couldn’t make sense of their suburban sidewalk location and their smooth shiny bodies. Yet, something about Jason’s mystery “leeches” didn’t quite sit right with me. I thought terrestrial leeches were largely confined to the tropics - I’ve heard some gruesome stories and have seen even gruesomer pictures thanks to friends who did fieldwork in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia and Australia. The only leeches I’ve ever seen in the eastern US were in water (in fact, we recently found some while flipping rocks in a local stream a few weeks ago – check out this video, starting at 3:00). I decided, based on the photo and Jason’s description of its behavior that it was most likely a leech. I pondered this image, trying to recall as much as I could from my days teaching undergrads about animal diversity. When he visited the bus stop the next morning, the critter was still there, albeit drying out and quickly becoming food for fire ants. He observed it contracting and expanding, occasionally poking its head up in the air. It was black and shiny, almost worm-like. But every now and then, I meet a mysterious creature whose identity leaves me scratching my head.Īs was the case a few weeks back when another colleague, Jason Flores, came by and told me a curious story about a critter he and his kids encountered on the sidewalk on their morning walk to the bus stop. Most of the time I become reacquainted with old six-legged friends. It’s fun to look up from your computer screen and flex your natural history muscles. And I’ll admit, when I’m having a long day, they also give me a much-needed boost. I enjoy these drop-by visits – they are little moments of nature, shared with friends, right in the comforts of my own office.
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