Haemadipsa morsitans Blanchard, 1917: 664

BORDA, ELIZABETH, 2006, A Revision of the Malagabdellinae (Arhynchobdellida: Domanibdellidae), with a Description of a New Species, Malagabdella niarchosorum, from Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar, American Museum Novitates 3531 (1), pp. 1-16 : 6-7

Haemadipsa morsitans Blanchard, 1917: 664 , fig. 13.

Malagabdella morsitans — Richardson, 1975: 142; Richardson, 1978: 864, fig. 4E; Sawyer, 1986: 761.

TYPE MATERIAL: Syntypes, Madagascar — Moramonga , east coast forests, 1893, Sikora ? ( MNHN 802 ; N 5 7) .

DESCRIPTION: Duognathous, monostichodont jaws. Cephalic somites with five pairs eyespots, one on each of II, III, IV, V, and VI. Somites II, III, and IV uni-annulate, V and VI two-annulate and three-annulate, respectively, VII three-annulate. Midbody somites VIII– XXII five-annulate. Nephropores lateral in furrow of b2/a 2 in each somite. XXIII incomplete five-annulate (four annuli dorsally). XXIV incomplete three-annulate, XXV– XXVII uni-annulate. Seven (eight) annuli between XXIII a2 and anus. Male genital pore at furrow of XI/XII and the female genital pore at furrow of XII/XIII. Gonopores separated by five complete annuli.

REMARKS: Because I did not have access to fresh material of M. morsitans for dissection, the characteristics of the reproductive systems remain a mystery. Richardson’s (1978) redescription of this species was solely based on the somital annulation patterns and based on the position of the gonopores. The specimen Richardson (1978) examined (USNM 37970) was dried out and with a strongly compressed body. He also mentioned that the male pore was not obvious, but that the female pore was found in XII/XIII (i.e., ‘‘two full annuli to a weakly defined end of the clitellum’’; p. 864). The position of the gonopores has been confirmed based on the examination of the type specimen (see also M. fallax : REMARKS). Based on the latter and based on the annulation patterns renders M. morsitans distinct from other Malagabdella species, although the comparison of the reproductive systems to other species of Malagabdella is pending for a redescription of this species.