Bull 499 BULLETIN OF THE IRAQ NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Habeeb and Al-Warid Bull. Iraq nat. Hist. Mus. (2023) 17 (3): 499-506. https://doi.org/10.26842/binhm.7.2023.17.3.0499 SHORT COMMNUCATION MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF TWO LEECH SPECIES (ANNELIDA, HIRUDINEA) WHICH USED IN SOME ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE CLINICS IN BAGHDAD PROVINCE, IRAQ Batool K. Habeeb and Harith Saeed Al-Warid* Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Baghdad- Al-Jadriya Campus, Baghdad, Iraq. *Corresponding author E-mail: harith.saeed@sc.uobaghdad.edu.iq Recived Date: 01 March 2023, Accepted Date 07 May 2023, Published Date:20 June 2023 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to describe the leech species that are used in some of the alternative medicine clinics in Baghdad Province based on morphometric measurements and colouring pattern of the body. A collection of twenty leeches was provided from some clinics. All specimens were identified and described based on standard available keys. The morphometric characteristics and colouring patterns were recorded and the indicated that these leeches were Hirudo orientalis Utevsky & Trontelj, 2005 and H. verbana Carena, 1820. Keywords: Hirudo, Leeches, Morphometric measurments. INTRODUCTION Leeches belong to phylum Annelida which is a large phylum that contains 22.000 species. This group of animals has significant impacts on the environment, agriculture and health (Jaweir and Al-Sarai, 2016; Solijonov and Umarov, 2022). The use of leeches for medical and therapeutic purposes has a long history (Ali, 1948; Ma et al., 2021). Leeches have a history of secreting biologically active substances, particularly in their saliva (Shakouri and Wollina, 2021). Leeches were employed for a variety of illnesses by ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, and Arab physicians, from the common application for bleeding to systemic illnesses such skin diseases, nervous system abnormalities, urinary and reproductive system difficulties, inflammation, and dental problems (Brooks, 2021). Numerous studies on leech saliva recently revealed the presence of a number of bioactive compounds (Liu et al., 2019). One of the many genera of leech that have drawn interest from people in various human endeavors is Hirudo Linnaeus, 1758. This genus seems to have its origins in Asia before spreading eastward and westward toward Europe. Hirudo medicinalis Linnaeus, 1758; H. verbana Carena, 1820; H. troctina Johnson, 1816; H. orientalis Utevsky & Trontelj, 2005 and H. sulukii Saglam, Saunders, Lang & Shain, 2016, five closely related living species, are being utilized in a variety of medical procedures (Elliott and Kutschera, 2011). Due to their widespread usage in surgery and medicine, the medicinal leeches of the genus Hirudo are BULLETIN OF THE IRAQ NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Iraq Natural History Research Center & Museum, University of Baghdad https://jnhm.uobaghdad.edu.iq/index.php/BINHM/Home Copyright © Bulletin of the Iraq Natural History Museum Online ISSN: 2311-9799-Print ISSN: 1017-8678 https://doi.org/10.26842/binhm.7.2023.17.3.0499 https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2671-738X https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6945-2652 mailto:harith.saeed@sc.uobaghdad.edu.iq https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://www.gbif.org/species/2308887 https://jnhm.uobaghdad.edu.iq/index.php/BINHM/Home 500 BULLETIN OF THE IRAQ NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Morphological description of two leech well-known invertebrates that have undergone extensive biological and physiological researches (Lemke et al., 2013) They were additionally investigated historically, ecologically, and genetically (Trontelj and Utevsky, 2012). In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, large quantities of medical leeches were collected from fields and water ponds, but by the end of that time, the leeches had become scarce in many nations (Kutschera and Elliott, 2014).Despite the similarities among the Hirudo species, they can be distinguishable from one another using external features (Solgi et al., 2021). The length of the body, the system of annulation, the number of segments before and after the clitellum, and the colour of the dorsal and ventral surfaces were all considered important characteristics in the classical study of taxonomy (Khalid et al., 2022). A few clinics in Iraq utilize medicinal leeches to treat a few diseases. This paper is performed to describe two of the commercial leech species that are frequently used in alternative medicine clinics in the Baghdad, Iraq. Specimens' collection: The leeches (n=20) used in this study were acquired between January and March 2022 from a few clinics and scientific centers in Baghdad, Iraq. These included: Alhwya centers for studies, researches and training, Al-Yermok; Rafi center for chines medicine, Al Monsoor and Al-Huda Center for Complementary Cedicine, Baghdad Aljadeeda. All of these clinics and centers were authorized by General Syndicate for Complementary and Herbal Medicine, Iraq. After relaxing in 10% ethanol, all leeches were fixed in 96% ethanol. The morphological identification of preserved specimens was completed using an ocular micrometer (AL-Ameen and Jawair, 2019; Ayhan et al., 2021) in accordance with the standard keys after they were pinned under running water (Ahmed et al., 2015; Sağlam, 2019; Wang et al., 2022).The body colour pattern and other morphological characteristics of leeches were observed and photographed. Leeches were examined to determine their diameter and length. As well as the diameter of anterior and posterior suckers were reported. Moreover anterior sucker/body length ratio, posterior sucker/body length ratio and posterior sucker/anterior sucker ratio were calculated. Description and Discussion Leech specimens in this study were gathered from a few clinics in Baghdad, Iraq. Two species of leech, Hirudo orientalis (n=10) and Hirudo verbana (n=10), were identified based on morphological parameters. Despite the similarities between the Hirudo species, they could be distinguished from one another based on the external features (Hussain et al., 2022). The specimens of Hirudo orientalis were large cylindrical in shape. Their average length was (33.69±11.64) mm. The average length of the H. orientalis samples in this study was within the length range that was previously recorded by (Utevsky and Trontelj, 2005), although the maximum length that was recorded in their study was more than the averages recorded in the present study. The average width was 7.51 ±1.19 mm. The average size of the anterior sucker was 3.3±0.38 mm, but the average size of the posterior sucker was 4.34±0.78 mm. The mean of anterior sucker/body length ratio was 0.105±0.024, the mean of posterior sucker/body length ratio was 0.135±0.025 and the mean of posterior sucker/anterior sucker ratio was 1.315±0.158 (Tab. 1).The strip was divided into circular patches in the dorsal perspective. The predominant colour of the dorsal surface is grass green, with two thin, fragmented orange 501 BULLETIN OF THE IRAQ NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Habeeb and Al-Warid paramedian lines and two broad, orange paramarginal stripes that enclose black specks that are grouped in quadrangular or spherical groups (Pls. 1 A). H. verbana had a lot of similarities and some differences in its morphology with other species of isolated medicinal leeches (Hirudo spp.). In this study, their length was 42.51 ± 8.44 mm. The average width was 7.33 ± 1.07 mm wide. The average size of the anterior sucker was 3.95±0.41 mm, whereas the average size of the posterior sucker was 5.31±0.79 mm. The mean of anterior sucker/body length ratio was recorded as 0.096±0.016, the mean of posterior sucker/body length ratio was 0.127±0.016 and the mean of posterior sucker/anterior sucker ratio was 1.345±0.153 (Tab. 1). The lengths and measurements of the H. verbana that appeared in this study were consistent with the study of Ceylan and Çetinkaya (2021). Hirudo verbana has yellow, green, and black colouring. The dorsal portion had black bands with white specks. Two additional orange stripes were present in both lateral portions. Broad red or orange paramedian dorsal stripes and a greenish venter with two longitudinal stripes at its edges might be seen in the colouring pattern. On the venter, there are occasionally few, dispersed dark spots (Pl.1 B). The results indicate that most species of medical leeches used in some alternative medicine clinics are H. orientalis and H verbana. The results of this study depended only on the measurements and colour pattern of the medical leech, but more investigations such as molecular studies and saliva analysis may be needed to confirm the species. 502 BULLETIN OF THE IRAQ NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Morphological description of two leech Plate (1): (A) Dorsal and ventras of H. orintalis collected from a clinic in Baghdad, (B) Dorsal and ventral same as mentioned H. verbana collected from a clinic in Baghdadl view. 503 BULLETIN OF THE IRAQ NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Habeeb and Al-Warid Table (1): The width, length, anterior sucker, ventral sucker, anterior sucker/body length ratio, posterior sucker/body length ratio and posterior sucker/anterior sucker ratio measurements of H. orientalis collection. Species Maximum body width (mm) Total body length (mm) Anterior sucker (mm) Posterior sucker (mm) Anterior sucker/total body ratio Posterior sucker/total body ratio Posterior sucker/ anterior sucker ratio H.orientalis (n=10) Min-Max 6.37- 10.27 22.54-59.24 3-4.24 3.78-6.44 0.063-0.15 0.092-0.173 1.115-1.519 Mean 7.51 33.69 3.305 4.34 0.105 0.135 1.315 SD 1.19 11.64 0.381 0.78 0.024 0.025 0.158 H. verbena (n=10) Min-Max 6.06-9.54 34.2-54.05 3.46-4.35 4.39-6.87 0.065-0.121 0.101-0.149 1.18-1.663 Mean 7.33 42.51 3.95 5.31 0.096 0.127 1.345 SD 1.07 8.44 0.41 0.791 0.016 0.016 0.153 AKNOWLEDGMENTS Acknowledgment is extended to Dr. Omar F. Al-Sheikhly, wildlife specialist and lecturer in University of Baghdad, who photographed all specimens illustrated in this study. CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATMENT The authors have no conflicts of interest to be mentioned LITERATURE CITED Ahmed, R. B., Romdhane, Y. and Tekaya, S. 2015. 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Iraq nat. Hist. Mus. (2023) 17 (3): 499-506. املستخدم في بعض (Annelida, Hirudinea)الوصف املظهري لنوعين من العلق العراق ،عيادات الطب البديل في محافظة بغداد بتول كاظم حبيب و حارث سعيد جعفر الورد قسم علوم الحياة، كلية العلوم، جامعة بغداد، مجمع الجادرية، بغداد، العراق 20/6/2023، تأريخ النشر: 7/5/2023القبول: ، تأريخ 1/3/2023تأريخ االستالم: الخالصة هدفت الدراسة الحالية الى وصف نوعين من العلق الطبي املستخدمة في عيادات . تم للجسمرية و النمط اللوني هالطب البديل في بغداد اعتمادا على القياسات املظ خاصة في محافظة بغداد. وتم الحصول على عينات العلق الطبي من هذه العيادات ال و وصفها باالعتماد على املفاتيح التشخيصية املتوفره. تم تسجيل كل تشخيصها القياسات املظهريه و االنماط اللونيه للعينات والتي اشارت الى ان العلق الطبي الذي تم H. verbana و Utevsky & Trontelj, 2005 Hirudo orientalisجمعه يعود للنوعين Carena, 1820. .