Motobdella montezuma

Motobdella montezuma is a species of leech which is only found in Montezuma Well, central Arizona, United States. It is a nocturnal pelagic predator that feeds almost exclusively on the endemic amphipod Hyalella montezuma, which it detects using passive sonar and swallows whole.

Motobdella montezuma
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Annelida
Class:
Clitellata
Subclass:
Hirudinea
Family:
Erpobdellidae
Genus:
Motobdella
Species:
M. montezuma
Binomial name
Motobdella montezuma
(Davies, Singhal & Blinn, 1985) [1]
Synonyms [2]

Erpobdella montezuma Davies, Singhal & Blinn, 1985

Description

Adults of M. montezuma may reach a length of 71 mm (2.8 in) including the suckers at the front and rear.[3]

Distribution
Montezuma Well

M. montezuma is closely related to the genus Erpobdella,[4] which includes species that are widespread across North America from Alaska to Mexico.[5] However, M. montezuma is only known to occur in a single pool, Montezuma Well, in the Montezuma Castle National Monument in Yavapai County, Arizona.[6]

Ecology

Montezuma Well due to a high carbon dioxide level in the water is unable to support a population of fish, leaving an ecological niche of predator-free open water. Although there are a number of species of invertebrates living in the well, the diet of M. montezuma consists almost entirely of the endemic amphipod Hyalella montezuma.[6]

Behavior

M. montezuma is nocturnal, resting at the bottom of the well during the day, when predatory waterfowl are present.[7] As night falls, the leeches swim towards the surface and hunt amphipods near the surface; this is the only instance of a leech hunting in open water.[7] Prey are detected by passive sonar, and swallowed whole. This pattern of diel vertical migration by a leech is only known to occur in Montezuma Well.[7]

Life cycle

Like many other leeches, M. montezuma is hermaphroditic. Sexual reproduction results in two individuals fertilizing each other, and the resulting eggs are placed in a nutrient-filled cocoon. The cocoon is placed deep enough to avoid the attention of ducks and other predators, and the eggs hatch into self-sufficient juveniles.[7]

References
  1. "Motobdella montezuma". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  2. "Erpobdellidae". Texas A&M University. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
  3. Fredric R. Govedich; Dean W. Blinn; Paul Keim; Ronald W. Davies (1998). "Phylogenetic relationships of three genera of Erpobdellidae (Hirudinoidea), with a description of a new genus, Motobdella, and species, Motobdella sedonensis". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 76 (12): 2164–2171. doi:10.1139/cjz-76-12-2164.
  4. James H. Thorp & Alan P. Covich (2001). Ecology and classification of North American freshwater invertebrates (2nd ed.). Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-690647-9.
  5. Roy T. Sawyer (1970). "Observations on the natural history and behavior of Erpobdella punctata (Leidy) (Annelida: Hirudinea)". American Midland Naturalist. 83 (1): 65–80. doi:10.2307/2424006. JSTOR 2424006.
  6. Dean W. Blinn, Ronald W. Davis & Behrooz Dehdashti. "Specialized open water feeding by the leech, Erpodbella montezuma (Hirudinea)". Northern Arizona University. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
  7. Fredric R. Govedich & Bonnie A. Bain (2005). "All about the leeches of Montezuma Well" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
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