Marine leech on the eye of a Fiddler Ray

  • Updated
    02/03/23
  • Read time
    2 minutes
Marine leech on the eye of a Fiddler Ray Click to enlarge image
A marine leech (Family Piscicolidae) on the eye of a Fiddler Ray at a depth of 5 m, Ricketts Point Marine Park, Beaumaris, Victoria, 24 January 2015. The leech may be Stibarobdella macrothela (commonly found on elasmobranchs), but it is not possible to be sure without examining the specimen. Image: Kim Wright
© Kim Wright

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Family
    Piscicolidae
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia

A marine leech (Family Piscicolidae) on the eye of a Fiddler Ray at a depth of 5 m, Ricketts Point Marine Park, Beaumaris, Victoria, 24 January 2015. The leech may be Stibarobdella macrothela (commonly found on elasmobranchs), but it is not possible to be sure without examining the specimen.

Fiddler Ray species:

Marine leech on the eye of a Fiddler Ray
A marine leech (Family Piscicolidae) on the eye of a Fiddler Ray at a depth of 5 m, Ricketts Point Marine Park, Beaumaris, Victoria, 24 January 2015. The leech may be Stibarobdella macrothela (commonly found on elasmobranchs), but it is not possible to be sure without examining the specimen. Image: Kim Wright
© Kim Wright

Notes

Thank you to Jeff Johnson and Rob Adlard (both from Queensland Museum) and Will White (CSIRO, Hobart) for identifying the leech and providing helpful comments.