Contact: Terry Collins
terrycollins@rogers.com
416-538-8712
Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL)

Medicinal Leeches

Caption: DNA barcoding shows some leeches marketed as Hirudo medicinalis, used in some modern surgical procedures, are in fact other leech species, a finding that impacts regulatory statutes and raise other concerns and questions. Shown here: Hirudo verbana.

Credit: Mark Siddall, American Museum of Natural History

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