Kinabalu giant red leech
Encyclopedia
The Kinabalu giant red leech is a large (≤30 cm long) bright orange-red coloured leech
that is endemic to Mount Kinabalu
, Borneo
. Very little is known about this animal although it has been identified as Mimobdella buettikoferi Blanchard, 1897.
The Kinabalu leech is not hematophagic
and feeds only on worms such as the Kinabalu giant earthworm
, Pheretima darnleiensis. It lives in damp earth and leaves in cracks between the rocks and can be found in Kinabalu Park at an altitude of 2,500-3,000 m where the trail runs over a rocky outcrop near to the Mempening and Paka Cave shelters. It is usually seen during or after heavy downpours.
Leech
Leeches are segmented worms that belong to the phylum Annelida and comprise the subclass Hirudinea. Like other oligochaetes such as earthworms, leeches share a clitellum and are hermaphrodites. Nevertheless, they differ from other oligochaetes in significant ways...
that is endemic to Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu is a prominent mountain on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is located in the East Malaysian state of Sabah and is protected as Kinabalu National Park, a World Heritage Site. Kinabalu is the tallest peak in Borneo's Crocker Range and is the tallest mountain in the Malay...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. Very little is known about this animal although it has been identified as Mimobdella buettikoferi Blanchard, 1897.
The Kinabalu leech is not hematophagic
Hematophagy
Hematophagy is the practice of certain animals of feeding on blood...
and feeds only on worms such as the Kinabalu giant earthworm
Kinabalu giant earthworm
The Kinabalu giant earthworm, Pheretima darnleiensis, is a grey-blue coloured peregrine annelid native to Mount Kinabalu, Borneo and surrounding islands as well as New Guinea. On Mount Kinabalu, the animal grows to a length of approximately 70 cm and lives in burrows in the soft and thick soils...
, Pheretima darnleiensis. It lives in damp earth and leaves in cracks between the rocks and can be found in Kinabalu Park at an altitude of 2,500-3,000 m where the trail runs over a rocky outcrop near to the Mempening and Paka Cave shelters. It is usually seen during or after heavy downpours.