Reproduction efficiency of the Horse Leech, Haemopis sanguisuga (Linnaeus, 1758)

The aquaculture sector has recently focused on alternative food sources due to increased costs and limited resources. Live food sources, such as invertebrates, have important roles in digestion processes of fish. It was aimed to determine the reproduction efficiency of the horse leech, Haemopis sanguisuga, which is expected to be used as an alternative live nutritional source in aquaculture in this study. The study was conducted at ambient temperature in the laboratory conditions for three months. A total of 25 gravid leeches with an average body mass of 6.91 +/- 2.20 g were used. The leeches lost up to 75% of their body mass and laid 4.30 +/- 1.49 cocoons at 12.0 +/- 8.2 days interval during cocoon laying period. Leeches stopped laying cocoon when the temperature fell to 16 degrees C. The average of offspring hatched from the cocoons was 6.45 +/- 2.86. The length-body mass relationship of the offspring was exponential (W = 0.012L(2.809), R-2 = 0.898). The results from the current study indicate that the basic biological parameter affecting the reproduction efficiency of H. sanguisuga is the size of the broodstock leeches, and reproduction activity weakens the broodstocks.