{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]],"date-time":"2026-08-21T12:29:10Z","timestamp":1787315350490,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]],"date-time":"2026-05-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779926400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,28]],"date-time":"2026-05-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779926400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005389","name":"Universit\u00e0 degli Studi dell'Insubria","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["FAR 2025"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FAR 2025"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005389","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Evolutionary Applications"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    Medicinal leeches of the genus\n                    <jats:italic>Hirudo<\/jats:italic>\n                    are both historically important in medicine and increasingly studied as models in ecology and biomedicine. However, the taxonomy, population structure and evolutionary history of this genus remain partially unresolved. Here, we present the most comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the\n                    <jats:italic>Hirudo<\/jats:italic>\n                    complex to date, incorporating 350\n                    <jats:italic>COX1<\/jats:italic>\n                    sequences (103 newly generated) and 247 complete mitogenomes from across the distribution range. In\n                    <jats:italic>Hirudo verbana<\/jats:italic>\n                    , three major clades corresponding to Iberian (A), Western (B) and Eastern (C) haplogroups were found, with sub\u2010haplogroups reflecting glacial refugia and Pleistocene expansions. Diversity was highest in Eastern populations, consistent with Anatolia and the Black Sea basin acting as long\u2010term refugia. Bayesian divergence dating indicates that the genus originated in the mid\u2010Miocene (~15\u2009Mya), with an early split of\n                    <jats:italic>H. nipponia<\/jats:italic>\n                    in East Asia. Subsequent radiations shaped the Western Eurasian clade, with\n                    <jats:italic>H. sulukii<\/jats:italic>\n                    diverging ~9.9\u2009Mya,\n                    <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">\n                      <jats:italic>H. orientalis<\/jats:italic>\n                    <\/jats:styled-content>\n                    splitting from European lineages ~6.4\u2009Mya and differentiating ~440\u2009kya, and recent radiations of\n                    <jats:italic>H. verbana<\/jats:italic>\n                    ,\n                    <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">\n                      <jats:italic>H. medicinalis<\/jats:italic>\n                    <\/jats:styled-content>\n                    and\n                    <jats:italic>H. troctina<\/jats:italic>\n                    occurring during the late Pleistocene. Notably, nucleotide diversity within\n                    <jats:italic>H. nipponia<\/jats:italic>\n                    (~8.8%) and deep divergence among its haplogroups suggest the presence of multiple cryptic species, with\n                    <jats:italic>H. tianjinensis<\/jats:italic>\n                    clustering within these lineages. We also molecularly identified several Italian specimens as\n                    <jats:italic>Haemopis sanguisuga<\/jats:italic>\n                    or a potential new\n                    <jats:italic>Dina<\/jats:italic>\n                    species. These findings emphasise the importance of taxonomic clarity and genetic monitoring to guide conservation and prevent overexploitation of\n                    <jats:italic>Hirudo<\/jats:italic>\n                    leeches, ensuring the long\u2010term sustainability and biomedical utility of these ecologically significant annelids.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/eva.70273","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]],"date-time":"2026-05-29T03:54:27Z","timestamp":1780026867000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Blood Relatives: Linking Evolutionary History and Conservation of Medicinal Leeches (\n                    <i>Hirudo<\/i>\n                    spp.)"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3641-5331","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gianluca","family":"Lombardo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences (DBSV) University of Insubria  Varese Italy"},{"name":"Department of Biosciences University of Milan  Milan Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alessandro","family":"Alvaro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biosciences University of Milan  Milan Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"De Benedictis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences (DBSV) University of Insubria  Varese Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marta","family":"Cavallini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences (DBSV) University of Insubria  Varese Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Milo","family":"Manica","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Gruppo Insubrico di Ornitologia l  Clivio Italy"},{"name":"Tutela anfibi basso Verbano  Sesto Calende Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1856-0586","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Edward C.","family":"Netherlands","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology and Entomology  Bloemfontein South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Pulze","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences (DBSV) University of Insubria  Varese Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6996-4797","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nicol\u00f2","family":"Baranzini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences (DBSV) University of Insubria  Varese Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Annalisa","family":"Grimaldi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences (DBSV) University of Insubria  Varese Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Francesco","family":"Acquati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences (DBSV) University of Insubria  Varese 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