First record of the introduced freshwater leech Helobdella europaea Kutschera 1987 in Portugal

Abstract

Recent spread of alien leech species has been reported throughout Europe, but a severe knowledge gap concerning their impact, distribution and ecology remains. Here, we document the occurrence of Helobdella europaea in a freshwater habitat in the north of Portugal, the first published record of this species in the country. Four specimens were found during water sampling at Ferreira River and promptly collected for study. Morphological identification was performed and tissue samples were also obtained for DNA barcode sequencing. Genetic analysis yielded a single haplotype shared by the four specimens, with very low divergence relative to other sequences deposited in public databases, confirming its identity.