Summary
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1.
We have investigated the organization of feeding behavior by the medicinal leech,Hirudo medicinalis L. Hungry leeches position themselves at the water surface when they are in a resting state, and they are alerted by either mechanical or photic stimuli.
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2.
Alerted leeches orient into water waves and swim toward their apparent source with accuracy. They also exhibit an optokinetic orientation by swimming into moving bars of light.
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3.
Swimming ceases whenHirudo contact any surface which they explore by crawling, and upon finding a warm region, they bite. Biting has a thigmotactic component and a temperature preference of 37–40 °C.
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Hirudo ingest blood meals averaging 8.9 times their initial weight. After feeding, leeches seek deeper water by crawling and they avoid warm surfaces.
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5.
Feeding by the medicinal leech has several behavioral alternatives which can be employed once the leech is alerted. Further, the act of feeding, itself, substantially alters the behavior of this sanguivorous annelid.
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Dickinson, M.H., Lent, C.M. Feeding behavior of the medicinal leech,Hirudo medicinalis L.. J. Comp. Physiol. 154, 449–455 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00610160
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00610160