Phylogenetic relationships of three genera of Erpobdellidae (Hirudinoidea), with a description of a new genus, Motobdella, and species, Motobdella sedonensis

A new genus, Motobdella, is recognized for Erpodbella,montezuma Davies, Sin ghal, and Blinn, 1985. In addition, a new species for this genus, Motobdell a sedonensis, is described. Morphological characters that include the prese nce of crop caeca, number and size of the eyes, arrangement of the eyes, ar rangement of ovisacs, position of the gonopore, structure and size of the s ensilla, coloration, and position of the anus distinguish this new genus fr om Erpobdella and Nephelopsis. DNA fingerprinting methods were used to exam ine the phylogenetic relationships of these genera and corroborated the mor phological data supporting the evolution of this genus with two distinct sp ecies.