Data from: Description of a soft-bodied invertebrate with microcomputed tomography and revision of the genus Chtonobdella (Hirudinea: Haemadipsidae)

Two-jawed (duognathous) terrestrial leeches in the Haemadipsidae are major
pests across their wide geographic range, represented by numerous endemic
species in Australia and across many islands in the Indian and Pacific
Oceans. However, haemadipsid taxonomy, based largely on externally visible
characters, remains in conflict with phylogenetic relationships. We
capitalize on the power of microcomputed tomography (μCT), allowing for
the first description of an extant soft-bodied species – Chtonobdella
tanae sp. n. – using this technology. Several fixation strategies for
soft-bodied invertebrates in μCT scanning applications are also evaluated.
Expanding on prior work, higher taxonomy of duognathous haemadipsids also
was evaluated with phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data. Whereas
monophyly of duognathous leeches was supported, substantial conflict
remained with respect to named genera. Consequently, the genus
Chtonobdella was revised to include all duognathous leech species
previously distributed in 31, mostly monotypic genera.