Template:Hirudinea

Hirudinea

Common name

leeches

Leeches have bodies with 20 or more segments and a ventral suction disk on at least one end, though sometimes on both ends. They are segmented worms (Phylum Annelida) in the Class Hirudinea. Most of the leeches we sample come from ponds and lakes but they are also commonly found in streams.

Image of the ventral suction disk.