The
Hirudinea species were collected from
various running waters and lakes in Turkey. The sampling
sites were located on Yeşilırmak River, streams in
Yedigöller National Park, Büyük Menderes River, Lake
Beyşehir, Lake Işıklı, Karamuk Marsh and Karadut
Spring of Acıgöl Lake. Recorded species were evaluated
with physicochemical variables such as temperature, pH,
dissolved oxygen, conductivity, nitrite nitrogen, nitrate
nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, orthophosphate phosphorus
and substratum structure. In this study, eight Hirudinea
species were determined. These are
Helobdella
stagnalis
,
Erpobdella octoculata
,
Erpobdella testacea,
Erpobdella vilnensis,
Dina stschegolewi,
Hirudo verbana,
Limnatis nilotica,
Haemopis sanguisuga. The relationships
between leech species and water quality variables
were assessed with canonical correspondence analysis.
The results show that leech species which are found in
the present study are able to live in different saprobic
levels in streams and trophic levels in lakes, but they
usually prefer polluted environments. Knowledge of
ecological characteristics of leech species must be
improved to use them in water quality assessment much
more effectively.
