Acanthobdellidea is an infraclass of primitive leeches; some authors place them in a separate subclass from the

Hirudinea Leeches are segmented parasitic or predatory worms that comprise the subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the oligochaetes, which include the earthworm, and like them have soft, muscular segmented bod ...

. However, the

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialist ...

places them within the Hirudinea, as a sister group to

Euhirudinea Euhirudinea, the true leeches, are an infraclass of the Hirudinea. Taxonomy These clitellate annelids are of somewhat unclear relationships; namely the relationships of Hirudinea with oligochaetes are in need of revision. It may be that the p ...

, the true leeches. Species in the group include ''

Acanthobdella peledina ''Acanthobdella peledina'' is a species of leech-like clitellate in the order Acanthobdellida. It feeds on the skin and blood of freshwater fishes in the boreal regions of northern Europe, Asia and North America. Taxonomy The taxonomy of Acan ...

'', described by the German zoologist

Adolph Eduard Grube Adolph Eduard Grube (18 May 1812, Königsberg – 23 June 1880 , Breslau) was a German zoologist. Adolph Eduard Grube, an able worker in many animal groups, was mainly interested in Polychaetes. In 1837 he defended his thesis at the University of ...

in 1851, and '' A. livanowi'', described in 1966.

References

Leeches {{Annelid-stub