Brook Leech

Glossiphonia elegans

General Status Rank: 
Secure
ELCODE: 
IAHIR06010
Common Name: 
Brook Leech
Scientific Name: 
Glossiphonia elegans
Synonyms: 
Glossiphonia complanata
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Taxonomy
Group: 
Annelid (Leech)
Kingdom: 
Animalia
Phylum: 
Annelida
Class: 
Clitellata
Order: 
Rhynchobdellida
Family: 
Glossiphoniidae
Distribution

Distribution

Great Slave Lake, Great Bear Lake and the Mackenzie delta region as well as Alaska, Yukon, northern British Columbia and northern Alberta (Hovingh 2016, p. 25).
References: 
B2019002

Number of Occurrences

9 locations from Hovingh 2016 ; 1 locations from Catling 2017-2018 We found two of these on the underside of Yellow Pond Lily leaves in Four Mile Lake S of Fort Smith (just S of NWT boundary). ; It is commonly called the Snail Leech or Mollusc Leech because it feeds at night principally on gastropods (e.g. Sawyer, 1986, Young & Proctor 1986), but also eats oligochaetes, larval chironomids, and amphipods (Wrona et al., 1979). See also Gale (1973).
References: 
B2019002
General Status Rank
Rank: 
Secure
Decision Process Description: 
New in 2019 Draft rank by S Carriere - based on preliminary list by John Reynolds (ECCC contract) with additional information from Catling and Kostiuk from literature reviews and surveys.
Last Updated: 
June 27, 2019

References

Number of Occurrences

  • Hovingh, P (2016) A Natural History Study of Leech (Annelida: Clitellata: Hirudinida) Distributions in Western North America North of Mexico . ResearchGate - B2019002 Return

Range Extent

  • Hovingh, P (2016) A Natural History Study of Leech (Annelida: Clitellata: Hirudinida) Distributions in Western North America North of Mexico . ResearchGate - B2019002 Return