A small freshwater leech that lives on the gills and body surface of crayfish and other crustaceans.
From Greek 'branchia' (gill) + 'bdella' (leech). Linnaeus created this genus name in the 1700s to describe these parasitic worms specifically adapted to gill-dwelling life.
Branchiobdella is a living example of radical specialization—these leeches evolved exclusively to live on just one host type, making them incredibly picky roommates.
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