ABSTRACT Whitmania pigra is used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and other chronic diseases, but its reproductive behaviour has not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reproduction efficiency and mating system of W. pigra. The study was conducted under laboratory conditions. A total of 28 gravid leeches weighing 22.3 ± 6.1 g were used. The leeches deposited 6.00 ± 0.82 cocoons by losing 46.68 ± 9.89% in body weight. The cocoons, with a length of 20.93 ± 4.84 mm and diameter of 17.20 ± 4.41 mm, had 30.97 ± 11.19 hatchlings. An average of 182.70 ± 51.16 hatchlings per leech were obtained from the leeches. There was a significant negative correlation between the cocoon laying period and cocoon size. By genotyping 10 adult leeches and 200 of their offspring (20 offspring per leech) with six microsatellite loci, multiple paternity was observed for all families. We inferred a minimum of 2–5 mates per family, with an average of 3.30 ± 0.95 mates. This was the first direct evidence of multiple paternity in W. pigra. This result will be useful inartificial production and conservation of the leech W. pigra.

中文翻译：

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微卫星分析揭示水蛭 Whitmania pigra 的繁殖效率和多重亲子关系

摘要 猪肝在中药中用于治疗心血管疾病和其他慢性疾病，但其繁殖行为尚未得到很好的研究。本研究的目的是调查W.pigra的繁殖效率和交配系统。该研究是在实验室条件下进行的。总共使用了 28 条妊娠水蛭，重 22.3 ± 6.1 g。水蛭通过失去 46.68 ± 9.89% 的体重沉积了 6.00 ± 0.82 个茧。茧长 20.93 ± 4.84 毫米，直径 17.20 ± 4.41 毫米，有 30.97 ± 11.19 只幼龟。从水蛭中平均每条水蛭获得 182.70 ± 51.16 只幼龟。产茧期与茧大小呈显着负相关。通过对具有 6 个微卫星位点的 10 只成年水蛭和 200 只它们的后代（每只水蛭 20 个后代）进行基因分型，观察到所有家庭的多重父系。我们推断每个家庭至少有 2-5 个配偶，平均 3.30 ± 0.95 个配偶。这是 W.pigra 中多重亲子关系的第一个直接证据。这一结果将有助于水蛭 W.pigra 的非人工生产和保护。