Hirudo

A genus of leeches (class Hirudinea, family Gnathobdellidae). Species previously used in medicine are: H. australis, Australian leech; H. decora, American leech; H. interrupta or H. troctina, a leech of northern Africa; H. medicinalis, speckled, Swedish, or German leech, the species previously in most general use; H. m. officinalis, a variety of the preceding; H. provincialis, the green or Hungarian leech; H. quinquestriata, five-striped leech. [L. leech]

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Hi·ru·do hi-'rü-(.)dō n a genus of leeches that is the type of the family Hirudinidae and includes the common medicinal leech (H. medicinalis)

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Hi·ru·do (hĭ-rooґdo) [L. “leech”] a genus of leeches of the family Gnathobdellidae. H. japoґnica and H. medicinaґlis have been used medicinally (see leeching). Other species include H. javaґnica of Indonesia and Burma, H. quinquestriaґta of Australia, and H. troctiґna of Europe. H. aegyptiґaca has been renamed Limnatis nilotica.