Gametogenesis in the leech Asiaticobdella buntonensis (Meyer, 1951) (Hirudinidae)

Abstract

The gametogenic cycle of the leech, Asiaticobdella buntonensisfrom two localities was investigated and found to be simultaneously hermaphroditic. Spermatogenesis reached a state of maturation before oogenesis in a cycle of summer reproductive maturation and winter quiescence comparable to related Hirudinidae. Leeches collected from the more northerly, warmer water bodies on the Makhatini Flats (32°08'E /27°27'S) were similar, although there is some evidence that their gametes matured earlier and remained in a mature condition longer than those collected from the more temperate collection site at Happy Valley Nature Reserve, Durban (31°00'E /30°00'S). An understanding of the gametogenic cycle of this potential medicinal leech under natural conditions, provides an index against which the effects of manipulating laboratory conditions on mass rearing can be inferred.