30.5  Friday, Jan. 4  Systematics and diversity of Arhynchobdellida (Oligochaeta: Hirudinida), with a focus on the evolutionary history of bloodfeeding terrestrial leeches BORDA , Elizabeth*; SIDDALL, Mark E.; Auburn University; American Museum of Natural History eborda@amnh.org

Arhynchobdellida is characterized by the possession of muscular jaws used for feeding. Arhynchobdellid leeches are found globally in both freshwater and terrestrial environments and include some of the most widely recognized bloodfeeding species: the medicinal leeches (Hirudinidae) and the jungle leeches (Haemadipsidae). Although previous work provided some insights towards our understanding of the systematics and evolution of leeches, none had included an expanded taxonomic representation of Arhynchobdellida. We investigate the evolutionary history of Arhynchobdellida using molecular (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, COI) and morphological data, with an increased representation of all major families. The phylogenetic hypothesis conflicted with the traditional classification suggesting that Haemadipsidae, Haemopidae and Hirudinidae are not monophyletic and in need of revision. The results provide insights towards understanding the evolution of bloodfeeding and terrestrialism in leeches and provide a framework by which to reexamine classification schemes in light of phylogeny. Therefore, the focus of this work was expanding our understanding of Haemadipsidae. Historically, Haemadipsidae has included problematic taxa that neither fit the typical IndoPacific distribution, nor properly matched diagnostic characters used to define the family. The increased sampling of IndoPacific and non-IndoPacific species resulted in a hypothesis that supports that the otherwise monophyletic IndoPacific Haemadipsidae excludes non-IndoPacific species. Xerobdellidae is formally established for non-IndoPacific terrestrial leeches. Morphological characters corroborate the distinction between Haemadipsidae and Xerobdellidae. Feeding preferences and biogeographic patterns of bloodfeeding terrestrial leeches are also examined.