The chromosome numbers of five North American and European leech species

Abstract

Chromosome counts were obtained for four glossiphoniid species belonging to three genera (Glossiphonia, Theromyzon, Placobdella) and for one erpobdellid species (Dina lineata) of freshwater leeches. Theromyzon rude, which has a Palaearctic distribution, had seven bivalents at prophase I and metaphase I, while the Holarctic T. tessulatum had eight bivalents, giving diploid chromosome numbers of 14 and 16, respectively. Placobdella papillifera from Alberta had a chromosome number of 2n = 24 and Glossiphonia complanata from Alberta and England had chromosome counts of 2n = 28. At prophase I and metaphase I nine bivalents occurred in the majority of the nuclei of Dina lineata. These findings are discussed in relation to the chromosome evolution and phylogenetic schemes proposed by previous authors.