ERPOBDELLA TESTACEA

Order ARHYNCHOBDELLIDA

Family ERPOBDELLIDAE

Erpobdella testacea (Savigny, 1820)

Identification

Key, plus text and illustrations, is provided by Elliott and Dobson (2015).

Distribution

Widespread and common in England and Wales. Relatively uncommon in the north with scattered modern records in central and southern Scotland, and northern England. Recent records from 594 hectads.

Habitat and ecology

Feeds on a variety of aquatic invertebrates, and dead or moribund fish and amphibians. Found in a variety of freshwater habitats, particularly eutrophic lakes and ponds, rivers, streams and ditches.

Red dots are historical (> 10 years old), black dots current (<= 10 years old).