The present state of leech fauna (Annelida: Hirudinea) in Dal Lake, Jammu & Kashmir, India

Authors

  • Niyaz Ali Khan Fish Biology and Limnology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir 190006, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5132-4270
  • Zahoor Ahmad Mir Fish Biology and Limnology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir 190006, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1507-7118
  • Yahya Bakhtiyar Fish Biology and Limnology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir 190006, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1162-0040

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8971.16.8.25700-25711

Keywords:

Freshwater ecosystem, annelid diversity, Himalaya, taxonomy , distribution, Glossiphoniidae, Erpobdellidae, Hirudinidae, Haemoidae

Abstract

Dal Lake supports a diverse group of fauna, including fishes, aquatic birds, zooplankton, and macrobenthic invertebrates. This study is the first taxonomic documentation of the leech fauna of Dal Lake. A total of nine leech taxa belonging to four families were identified and described: Glossiphoniidae – Alboglossiphonia weberi, A. heteroclita, Glossiphonia complanata, Helobdella stagnalis, Hemiclepsis marginata asiatica, and Theromyzon sp.; Erpobdellidae – Erpobdella octoculata; Hirudinidae – Poecilobdella granulosa; and Haemopidae – Haemopis indicus. Leeches play key roles in prey-predator dynamics and host-parasite relationships in freshwater ecosystems and as bioindicators of water pollution. This study provides essential data for taxonomic accounts and the diversity of leech fauna in Dal Lake.

Author Biographies

Niyaz Ali Khan, Fish Biology and Limnology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir 190006, India.

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Zahoor Ahmad Mir, Fish Biology and Limnology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir 190006, India.

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Yahya Bakhtiyar, Fish Biology and Limnology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir 190006, India.

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Published

26-08-2024

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Vol. 16 No. 8 (2024)

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Copyright (c) 2024 Niyaz Ali Khan, Zahoor Ahmad Mir, Yahya Bakhtiyar

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