The snail leech lives in the ditch and pond, hunting
for the pondsnail and great ramshorn. The pond snail
also hunts for fresh water molluscs and worms, like tubifex.
The snail leech belongs to the group of hirundiae.
This leech can't swim and moves slowly on the bottom of
the pond. Its length is mostly between one or 2 cm.
live in a pond
The snail leech lives in the same niche as Helobdella stagnalis
another leech and hunts for the same prey, leeches and molluscs.
Both leeches are equal in there succesrate of killing snails and
mollucs. But Helobdella stagnalis is much smaller and a active
hunter, as the snail leech just wait in ambush.
A young snail leech, older Snail leeches have stripes and
sometimes smaller snail leeches attached on the underside.
The snail leeches is known for its perental care :
The orange eggs that are produced develop into small leeches
that attache themselve on the underside of the parent
snail leeche, and stay there for some weeks,
the parent feeds them. Snail leeches are hermafrodites
and uses cross-fertilizing:
two snail leeches fertilize each other.
Fresh water leeches and snails , "Uit het dierleven in het water"
(1916)
1 fish leech (piscicola geometra)
2 Nephelis vulgaris
3 snail leech Glossiphonia complanata
4 Duck mussel (Anodonta anatina)
5 The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)
6 the greater European peaclam (pisidium amnicum)
7 Creeping bryozoan or moss animal (plumatella repens)
8 the European stream valvata(valvata piscinalis)
9 Paludina vivipara
10Ancyclus fluvatilis
11fresh water shrimp 12Fungoid bryozoan or moss animal (Plumatella fungosa)
Stumble It!