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Leech

Phylum Annelida Subclass Hirudinea

Photo by Leuba Ridgway
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

This little terrestrial leech was about 20mm long and about 3mm wide. He was a deep brown with turquoise coloured linear markings.

Habitat:

Damp eucalyptus forests

Notes:

This little guy was begging to have his picture taken for PN. He was one of many that crawled up onto my arms and legs while I was looking for mushrooms. You can see the rim of his rear sucker in pic #2 ( broad end)

Reference Links:

Leech

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (4)
Maria dB
Oh my - your childhood experience was worse! But you handled it admirably, keeping cool and taking photos to document - that's great!
Leuba Ridgway
Nopayahnah, My reaction would have been much like yours if I had remembered about leeches being common among damp vegetation ! - by the time I discovered them my legs and arms had quite a few. Short of taking my jeans off in public, I did everything I could to keep them off my skin...I was a little girl when I fell into a forest stream and got washed down some distance. When they managed to get me out of the water I was covered with leeches !! -now, does that make you feel good?
Maria dB
Oh, these freak me out! Ever since I saw the movie African Queen as a child. And then my father came home from a lake outing one day with leaches all over his legs. I think you are brave not minding them on you. (I know, my reaction is overblown, but that's what my childhood left me with.)

Tags

Photographed
PublishedMarch 14, 2012

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