Pterobdella occidentalis n. sp. (Hirudinida: Piscicolidae) is described from the longjaw mudsucker, Gillichthys mirabilis Cooper, 1864, and the staghorn sculpin, Leptocottus armatus Girard, 1854, in the eastern Pacific, and the diagnosis of Pterobdella abditovesiculata (Moore, 1952) from the 'o'opu 'akupa, Eleotris sandwicensis Vaillant and Sauvage, 1875, from Hawaii is amended. The morphology of both species conforms with the genus Pterobdella in possessing a spacious coelom, well-developed nephridial system, and 2 pairs of mycetomes. Originally described as Aestabdella abditovesiculata, P. occidentalis (present along the U.S. Pacific Coast), can be distinguished from most congeners by its metameric pigmentation pattern and diffuse pigmentation on the caudal sucker. Based on mitochondrial gene sequences, including cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit I (ND1), P. occidentalis forms a distinct polyphyletic clade with Pterobdella leiostomi from the western Atlantic. Based on COI, ND1, and the 18S rRNA genes, other leech species most closely related to P. occidentalis include Pterobdella arugamensis from Iran, Malaysia, and possibly Borneo, which likely represent distinct species, and Pterobdella abditovesiculata from Hawaii, one of only a few endemic fish parasites in Hawaii. Like P. abditovesiculata, P. arugamensis, and Petrobdella amara, P. occidentalis is often found in estuarine environments, frequently infecting hosts adapted to a wide range of salinity, temperature, and oxygen. The physiological plasticity of P. occidentalis and the longjaw mudsucker host, and the ease of raising P. occidentalis in the lab, make it an excellent candidate for the study of leech physiology, behavior, and possible bacterial symbionts.
Keywords: Eleotris; Gillichthys; Leptocottus; Pterobdella; Eastern Pacific; Genetic sequencing; Hirudinida.
© American Society of Parasitologists 2023.