Sinospelaeobdella Huang & Liu & Gong & Wu & Liu & Deng & Zhang & Peng & Zhang & Liu 2019, gen. n.
Creators: name: Huang, Taifu
name: Liu, Zhiwei
name: Gong, Xiaoyan
name: Wu, Tao
name: Liu, Hui
name: Deng, Jiaxin
name: Zhang, Youxiang
name: Peng, Qingzhong
name: Zhang, Libiao
name: Liu, Zhixiao
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Annelida
Clitellata
Arhynchobdellida
Haemadipsidae
Sinospelaeobdella

description: Genus Sinospelaeobdella Liu, Huang, and Liu gen. n.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 6C6D1652-EA38-4339-BD79-EA1A017B3AC3
Etymology: The name for the new genus derives from Σινων (Sinon), meaning Chinese / China, σπηλαιoν (spelaeon), cave, or subterranean, βδελλα (bdella), land leech, Sino-spelaeo-bdella = Sinospelaeobdella.
Type species: Sinospelaeobdella wulingensis Liu, Huang, and Liu, sp. n.
Diagnosis: Medium-sized, body covered with papillae, lacking pigmentation. Three jaws present
(trignathous), with tiny indistinct teeth. Five pairs of eyes, with anterior 4 pairs located dorsally on second, third, fourth, fifth annulus, respectively, forming a “V” shaped pattern, fifth pair on eighth annulus, very small in size, equally separated from each other as fourth pair. Gonopores separated by 2 annuli, with male gonopore in somite XII b2/a2 and female gonopore in somite XII b5/b6. One pair of auricular projection in somites XXV~XXVII. Last annulus dorsally with a very large median hemispherical projection; anus located at distal end of projection. Caudal sucker prominent, circular, ventrally with about 78 indistinct friction rays.
Remarks: Although originally described as a member of the Haemadipsa, Borda & Siddall (2010) suggested that a new genus should be erected for H. cavatuses on basis a phylogenetic analysis of the family Haemadipsidae (sensu Borda et al. 2008). However, these authors did not make the necessary taxonomic changes for several reasons, including no inclusion of materials of H. cavatuses from the type location. Within Haemadipsidae, the new genus, Haemadipsa and Tritetrabdella share the common morphological feature of having three jaws (trignathous) and can easily distinguished from the duognathous members of the family. The three trignathous genera can be further separated by the number of annuli separating gonopores (Fig. 2), pigment and stripes on surface of body, friction rays, and several other morphological as well as biological characteristics (Table 3).
Known species: Sinospelaeobdella cavatuses (Yang, Mo & Wang, 2009) comb. n.; and Sinospelaeobdella wulingenesis sp. n.
Distribution: China: Yunnan (Yang et al. 2009), Hunan (present study); Laos: Luang Namtha (Borda & Siddall 2010), Vieng Phoukha, Phou Khoun, Vieng Thong (Steiner 2013); Myanmar (Steiner 2013). Photos from online (https://www.flickr.com/photos/alan_cressler/4239947572/in/photostream/[1/22/15, 12:30:21 PM]) suggests that the genus may be also distributed in Malaysia.
description: Published as part of Huang, Taifu, Liu, Zhiwei, Gong, Xiaoyan, Wu, Tao, Liu, Hui, Deng, Jiaxin, Zhang, Youxiang, Peng, Qingzhong, Zhang, Libiao & Liu, Zhixiao, 2019, Vampire in the darkness: a new genus and species of land leech exclusively bloodsucking cave-dwelling bats from China (Hirudinda: Arhynchobdellida: Haemadipsidae), pp. 257-272 in Zootaxa 4560 (2) on pages 261-262, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4560.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/2627588