Williams, Bronwyn W. and Phillips, Anna J. 2021. "A new species of Pterodrilus (Branchiobdellida: Clitellata) from the upper Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin of North Carolina." Journal of Natural History, 55, (23-24) 1491–1498. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1949505.
A new species of branchiobdellidan, Pterodrilus leiteri n. sp., is described from the anterior cephalothorax of the crayfish Cambarus longulus from north-western North Carolina, USA. Like its 10 congener species, P. leiteri n. sp. is diminutive, with a maximum body length < 1 mm. It can be distinguished from other members of Pterodrilus by the number and position of dorsal ridges and projections. Unique to this species are three pairs of twinned dorsal unbranched digitiform projections on segments 3, 4, and 5. Our discovery adds to our understanding of diversity within an unusual and poorly understood genus, Pterodrilus, and more generally, branchiobdellidan fauna in the southeastern USA.
