Reproductive strategies of the kangaroo leech, Marsupiobdella africana (Glossiphoniidae)

• Unique leech in that it keeps it young inside a brood pouch, hence its name.
• This leech is quite rare and only known from three localities.
• First paper to show SEM pictures of Marsupiobdella spermatophore.
• New info on its reproductive behavior.

The Kangaroo Leech, Marsupiobdella africana, is a hermaphroditic organism, with insemination taking place by the planting of a spermatophore on another leech. Spermatophores are mostly planted on the anterior of the recipient leech, but not always. Several spermatophores may be planted by different leeches on a single recipient. The spermatophore consists of two side by side lobes. Within minutes from planting of the spermatophore, the contents are squeezed out and into the body of the recipient. Sperm are believed to find the way to the ova by following chemical cues. Kangaroo Leeches display advanced parental care by transferring fertilized eggs from the reproductive opening to a brood pouch on the ventral side. Fully developed leeches may copulate after detaching from the amphibian host Xenopus laevis, or from the Cape River Crab Potamonautes perlatus with which it maintains a phoretic association.

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