Arhynchobdellida
| Proboscisless leeches | |
|---|---|
| A giant Americobdella species from southern Chile. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Clade: | Pleistoannelida |
| Clade: | Sedentaria |
| Class: | Clitellata |
| Subclass: | Hirudinea |
| Infraclass: | Euhirudinea |
| Order: | Arhynchobdellida Blanchard, 1894 |
| Suborders | |
|
Erpobdelliformes | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Arhynchobdellae Stuart, 1982 | |
Arhynchobdellida, the proboscisless leeches, are a monophyletic order of leeches. They are defined by the lack of the protrusible proboscis that defines their sister taxon, the Rhynchobdellida. Arhynchobdellida is a diverse order, compromising both aquatic and terrestrial, besides sanguivorous and predatory, leeches. The order is divided into two suborders, Erpobdelliformes and Hirudiniformes (sometimes also called the Pharyngobdelliformes and Gnathobdelliformes, respectively).