New blood-sucking leech identified in DC-area swamps
WASHINGTON - The swamps of the Metro D.C. area have produced a new kind of parasite.
Scientists from the Smithsonian recently published a paper in the Journal of Parasitology documenting their discovery of Macrobdella mimicus – the first new species of leech to be discovered in more than four decades.
The leech species olive green with orange spots, and about as long as a cigarette. Other features closely resemble the species M. decora, prompting the scientists to name it Macrobdella mimicus, which comes from the Greek word for “imitator.”
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The new species, which was initially identified in Southern Maryland, can be found in a number of locations from Northern Georgia to Long Island.
The scientist who discovered the new species told Smithsonian.com, “It’s not something new that’s come up; it’s something that has been there the whole time, unrecognized.”
For more details on the new leech, go to the Smithsonian website.