ZooKeys (Nov 2018)

An example of a possible leech-bryozoan association in freshwater

  • Anna L. Klass,
  • Svetlana E. Sokolova,
  • Alexander V. Kondakov,
  • Yuliya V. Bespalaya,
  • Mikhail Yu. Gofarov,
  • Alena A. Tomilova,
  • Ilya V. Vikhrev,
  • Ivan N. Bolotov

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.794.28088
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 794
pp. 23 – 30

Abstract

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Associations of various invertebrate species with bryozoans and sponges are a well-known marine phenomenon but such epizooic communities are far less diverse in freshwater environments. Here an occurrence of numerous leeches Alboglossiphonia cf. papillosa (Braun, 1805), in interstitial spaces between zooids of a colony of the freshwater bryozoan species Plumatella aff. fungosa (Pallas, 1768) in Eastern Siberia is described. To the best of our knowledge, this record appears to be the first known example of a leech-bryozoan association, although such relationships deserve further research.