- Freshwater leeches (segmented worms) are important components of benthic communities in nearly every freshwater ecosystem; many species also occur in terrestrial and semi-terrestrial habitats, although only one semi-terrestrial leech occurs in North America. Leeches are widely distributed throughout the world, and some groups are found in great abundance.
- Several of the Hirudinea groups have been used for monitoring and detecting changes in water quality and physical habitats. The habitat and water quality requirements as well as the pollution tolerance of some species of freshwater leeches have been documented in the literature by a few investigators.
- Practical taxonomic keys are now available to species, but many benthic water quality assessment studies still do not treat the leeches adequately because the investigators lack the knowledge and experience in using these keys. This inadequate treatment represents a loss of valuable ecological data and information for use in bioassessment of the quality of water resources, water pollution, or other changes in aquatic ecosystems resulting from natural causes or anthropogenic activities of man.
- Currently, we recognize three orders, seven families, 19 genera, and 77 species of leeches in North America; of these, eight species representing five genera, two families, and two orders occur in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Two leech species now present in North America are considered introductions to the continent, but neither are known or thought likely to occur in the Park.
- As the ATBI program continues, additional species of leeches likely will be reported from the Park, especially those already known to occur in North Carolina, Tennessee, and other southeastern states.
| Order | Family |
| Arhychobdellida | Erpobdellidae |
| Rhyncobdellida | Glossiphoniidae |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Text
Don Klemm and Mark J. Wetzel, 2007.Web page
Charles Wilder.REFERERNCES
Klemm, D.J., W.E. Moser, and M.J. Wetzel. 2007. Classification and checklist of the leeches (Phylum Annelida: Class Clitellata: Subclass Hirudinida) occurring in North America north of Mexico. World Wide Web URL: http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~mjwetzel/FWLeechesNA.html.
Wetzel, M. J., and P. Morgan. 2007. The Aquatic Oligochaeta (Annelida, Clitellata) of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee, USA: http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~mjwetzel/AOGSMNP.home.html.
