Distribution of aquatic and terrestrial leeches in Assam, India

Abstract

Leeches are well known as haematophagous parasite for both man and animals. A study was conducted to record the prevalence of both aquatic and terrestrial leeches in fifteen districts of Assam viz., Goalpara, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Baksa, Nalbari, Darrang, Kamrup, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Lakhimpur for a calendar period from August 2014 to September 2015. A total 1991 number of both aquatic and terrestrial leeches were collected during the period of study. Five different aquatic leech species e.g., Hirudinaria manillensis (57.86%), H. granulosa (11.85%), H javanica (2.71%), Whitmania laevis (2.61%) and Hemiclepsis marginata (0.80%) and one single terrestrial leech i.e., Haemadipsa sylvestris (24.16%) was found to be prevalent variously in different districts of Assam. The present findings will help in further detailed study on the prevalence of other species of leeches.