WoRMS taxon details
Pontobdella muricata (Linnaeus, 1758)
116986 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:116986)
accepted
Species
Hirudo muricata Linnaeus, 1758 · unaccepted (Synonym)
Pontobdella areolata Leach, 1815 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym (subjective synonym)
Pontobdella spinulosa Leach, 1815 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym (subjective synonym)
Pontobdella verrucata Leach, 1815 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Pontobdella verrucosa Leydig, 1851 · unaccepted > misspelling - incorrect subsequent spelling (perhaps a misspelling of...)
perhaps a misspelling of Pontobdella verrucata Leach, 1815
marine, terrestrial
(of Hirudo muricata Linnaeus, 1758) Linnaeus, C. (1758). <i>Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis</i>. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886 [details] Available for editors 
[request]
[request]
Read, G.; Fauchald, K. (Ed.) (2026). World Polychaeta Database. Pontobdella muricata (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=116986 on 2026-05-16
The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 License
Nomenclature
original description
(of Hirudo muricata Linnaeus, 1758) Linnaeus, C. (1758). <i>Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis</i>. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886 [details] Available for editors [request]
original description (of Pontobdella verrucosa Leydig, 1851) Leydig, Franz. (1851). Anatomisches uber Branchellion und Pontobdella. <em>Zeitschrift fur wissenschaftliche Zoologie.</em> 3: 315-324., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14273366
page(s): 318; note: most likely not an original name but instead a common misspelling of P. verrucata [details]
original description (of Pontobdella verrucata Leach, 1815) Leach, W. E. (1815). The Zoological Miscellany; Being Descriptions of New, or Interesting Animals. <em>R.P. Nodder, London.</em> 2: 1-154, pls. 61-120., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28685302
page(s): 11, plate 64; note: described from specimen in British museum, no location given [details]
original description (of Pontobdella spinulosa Leach, 1815) Leach, W. E. (1815). The Zoological Miscellany; Being Descriptions of New, or Interesting Animals. <em>R.P. Nodder, London.</em> 2: 1-154, pls. 61-120., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28685302
page(s): 12,; note: North British Isles seas, attached to skates [details]
original description (of Pontobdella areolata Leach, 1815) Leach, W. E. (1815). The Zoological Miscellany; Being Descriptions of New, or Interesting Animals. <em>R.P. Nodder, London.</em> 2: 1-154, pls. 61-120., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28685302
page(s): 10; note: location and habitat unknown, collected and presented to the Linnean Society by Sir Joseph Banks [details]
basis of record Llewellyn, L. C. (1966). Pontobdellinae (Piscicolidae : Hirudinea) in the British Museum (Natural History) with a review of the subfamily. Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. (Zool.), 14(7), 389-439. [details] Available for editors [request]
[request]original description (of Pontobdella verrucosa Leydig, 1851) Leydig, Franz. (1851). Anatomisches uber Branchellion und Pontobdella. <em>Zeitschrift fur wissenschaftliche Zoologie.</em> 3: 315-324., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14273366
page(s): 318; note: most likely not an original name but instead a common misspelling of P. verrucata [details]
original description (of Pontobdella verrucata Leach, 1815) Leach, W. E. (1815). The Zoological Miscellany; Being Descriptions of New, or Interesting Animals. <em>R.P. Nodder, London.</em> 2: 1-154, pls. 61-120., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28685302
page(s): 11, plate 64; note: described from specimen in British museum, no location given [details]
original description (of Pontobdella spinulosa Leach, 1815) Leach, W. E. (1815). The Zoological Miscellany; Being Descriptions of New, or Interesting Animals. <em>R.P. Nodder, London.</em> 2: 1-154, pls. 61-120., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28685302
page(s): 12,; note: North British Isles seas, attached to skates [details]
original description (of Pontobdella areolata Leach, 1815) Leach, W. E. (1815). The Zoological Miscellany; Being Descriptions of New, or Interesting Animals. <em>R.P. Nodder, London.</em> 2: 1-154, pls. 61-120., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28685302
page(s): 10; note: location and habitat unknown, collected and presented to the Linnean Society by Sir Joseph Banks [details]
basis of record Llewellyn, L. C. (1966). Pontobdellinae (Piscicolidae : Hirudinea) in the British Museum (Natural History) with a review of the subfamily. Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. (Zool.), 14(7), 389-439. [details] Available for editors
[request]Other
additional source
Youssef, Feriel; Benmansour, Bouchra; Yurakhno, Violetta M.; Mansour, Lamjed. (2024). New marine leech species of Branchellion Savigny, 1822 (Hirudinida: Piscicolidae) and new host record of Pontobdella muricata in the Gulf of Tunis. <em>Biologia.</em> 79(6): 1695-1704., available online at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11756-024-01639-z
page(s): 5 of 10, figure 3; note: Record for Gulf of Tunis, Tunisia. on Torpedo marmorata [details]
additional source Hayward, P.J. & J.S. Ryland (Eds.). (1990). The marine fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe: 1. Introduction and protozoans to arthropods. <em>Clarendon Press: Oxford, UK.</em> 627 pp. (look up in IMIS), available online at https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198573562.001.0001 [details] Available for editors [request]
additional source van der Land, J. (ed). (2008). UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms (URMO). , available online at http://www.marinespecies.org/urmo/ [details]
additional source van der Land, J. (2001). Hirudinea, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 234-235 (look up in IMIS) [details]
additional source Sawyer, R.T. (1986). Leech biology and behaviour. Vol. II. Feeding biology, ecology, and systematics. Clarendon Press. 375 p. [details]
page(s): 5 of 10, figure 3; note: Record for Gulf of Tunis, Tunisia. on Torpedo marmorata [details]
additional source Hayward, P.J. & J.S. Ryland (Eds.). (1990). The marine fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe: 1. Introduction and protozoans to arthropods. <em>Clarendon Press: Oxford, UK.</em> 627 pp. (look up in IMIS), available online at https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198573562.001.0001 [details] Available for editors
[request]additional source van der Land, J. (ed). (2008). UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms (URMO). , available online at http://www.marinespecies.org/urmo/ [details]
additional source van der Land, J. (2001). Hirudinea, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 234-235 (look up in IMIS) [details]
additional source Sawyer, R.T. (1986). Leech biology and behaviour. Vol. II. Feeding biology, ecology, and systematics. Clarendon Press. 375 p. [details]
Present Present in aphia/obis/gbif/idigbio Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From editor or global species database
Biology known vector for Trypanosoma raiae to skate host Raia spp;type species parasitic on skates Raia and rays Torpedo [details]
Ecology host species of rays and sometimes plaice [details]
| Language | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch | roggenbloedzuiger | [details] |
| English | skate leechray leech | [details] |
| German | Rochenegel | [details] |
| Swedish | taggvårtiga spoligeln | [details] |
To Barcode of Life (4 barcodes)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (202 publications)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Pontobdella muricata)
To GenBank (11 nucleotides; 4 proteins)
To PESI
To USNM Invertebrate Zoology Annelida Collection (7 records)
To ITIS
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (202 publications)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Pontobdella muricata)
To GenBank (11 nucleotides; 4 proteins)
To PESI
To USNM Invertebrate Zoology Annelida Collection (7 records)
To ITIS
From editor or global species database
Unreviewed
