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Abstract
We investigated the genetic distances and taxonomic status among species of Helobdella, a genus of non-blood-feeding leeches, based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences. Sampling included 20 specimens representing nine nominal species collected in 11 states in Mexico as well as previously published sequences of different species of Helobdella from several places. A neighbor-joining tree, as well as identification of diagnostic nucleotides, was used to suggest the presence of seven species of Helobdella in Mexico including potentially two undescribed forms.
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Acknowledgements
Patricia Escalante, Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis, and Rob DeSalle kindly invited the authors to participate in this special issue. Sebastian Kvist and Anna Phillips contributed with their comments that greatly improved the quality of the paper. Florencia Bertoni, Elisa Cabrera, Gerardo Rivas, Rogelio Rosas, Salvador Díaz Cuevas, Jean Paul, and Giovanni Rosas collected specimens included in the present study. Luis García Prieto from the Colección Nacional de Helmintos, UNAM, Mexico assisted with the catalog numbers and collection management.
Declarations of interest: The present project was supported by the National Science Foundation (DEB grant numbers 01613802 and 0640436). A.O.-F. thanks CONACyT, Mexico (grant number 172322) and the CUNY Graduate Center Science Fellowship Program for financial support.