Glossiphonia paludosa (Carena, 1824)

Jueg, Uwe & Zettler, Michael L., 2015, Distribution and ecology of leeches (Hirudinea) in brackish waters of the German Baltic, Ecologica Montenegrina 2 (1), pp. 42-50 : 48-49

Glossiphonia paludosa (Carena, 1824)

Glossiphonia paludosa belongs to the rarest species in central Europe. This species was found once in a yacht harbour near Dargen in the Stettin Lagoon. This record and a monographic review of this species in Germany were published by Jueg & Rödiger (2004b). An additional record exists from the Grosslabenzer Lake in Mecklenburg­West Pomerania.

Placobdella costata (Fr. Müller, 1846) , Haemopis elegans (Moquin­Tandon, 1846) and Dina apathyi Gedroyc, 1916

Dina apathyi is an east­European species and is restricted in Germany to the North­East. Haemopis elegans has a scattered distribution pattern in the northern glacial area. The distribution range of Placobdella costata seems to be increased during the last decades probably due to the increasing population of host species (beaver and otter). These three species, only sporadically observed in Germany, were found in Lake Neuwarp, a southern bay of the Stettin Lagoon (e.g. Grosser 2003).

Piscicolidae

For brackish waters of the Baltic Sea in the past only Piscicola geometra was given in the literature (e.g. Meissner 1964, Palm 1999, Subklew & Günther 1975, Wohlrab 1959). Recent knowledge shows that several different species are responsible for records in offshore and inner coastal waters respectively. Older records without any material cannot be proofed and we have to ignore them. Currently 26 species of limnic Piscicolidae are known in Europe. In Germany 18 species were observed so far. Marine species from the North Atlantic and the North Sea will not be considered here. All piscicolid leeches of north­east Germany are occurring in brackish waters as well. Significantly are some first and only records for Germany ( Piscicola elishebae , Piscicola kusznierzi , Piscicola wiktori ). In comparison to freshwater habitats Pawlowskiella stenosa and Piscicola annae occur more than double frequent in brackish waters. Some others ( Caspiobdella fadejewi , Piscicola borowieci , Piscicola margaritae und Piscicola pojmanskae ) seem to find their optimum in freshwaters but were frequently observed in brackish waters as well.