▲ 28 r/Parasitology
Northeastern U.S. leeches
Several leeches pulled from pectoral and caudal fins on bluegill sampled from a few lakes in Connecticut. First image is at 40x total, others are from a dissecting scope. Using a key from Hoffman's Parasites of North American Freshwater Fishes, my best guess is Piscicola, but I'm struggling with species level without resorting to PCR. In pic 3, are the eyespots the darker pigments on the sucker that are shaped like an asterisk? If yes, then my guess is P. milneri, but the fish and location match more with P. punctata, so how do you discern that?
u/madmaxs_sister — 2 days ago