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ARS Home » Plains Area » Sidney, Montana » Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory » Pest Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #424010
Research Project: Biological Control and Habitat Restoration for Invasive Weed Management

Location: Pest Management Research

Title: First record of the marine leech, Branchellion ravenelii, collected from cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus)

Author
item Campbell, Joshua
item MARTIN, PARKER - Non ARS Employee

Submitted to: Marine Biodiversity
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/2/2025
Publication Date: 4/23/2025
Citation: Campbell, J.W., Martin, P. 2025. First record of the marine leech, Branchellion ravenelii, collected from cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus). Marine Biodiversity. 55:Article 36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-025-01524-1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-025-01524-1

Interpretive Summary: Basic life history and ecological information for many marine invertebrate species are lacking. Here we document a new host (cownose ray- Rhinoptera bonasus) for the marine leech Branchellion ravenelii from Florida.

Technical Abstract: Marine leeches (Branchellion ravenelii) were found attached to a cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) in the Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. This finding represents a new host for B. ravenelii and the first leech species found attached to a wild specimen of R. bonasus.