Table 4 Terrestrial haematophagous leeches versus other sources of iDNA [13, 15, 16, 81–89]
Terrestrial leeches | Blow/Flesh flies | Mosquitos | Ticks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Geographical distribution | The Indo-Pacific, incl. Madagascar, Australia and Tasmania | Worldwide | Worldwide | Worldwide |
Invertebrate activity | Seasonal variation (moisture dependent) | Seasonal variation | Seasonal variation | Seasonal variation |
Collection efficiency | High | High | Medium | Low |
Collection method | By hand/trap | Traps | Traps | By hand/nets |
Diet | Haematophagous | Saprophagous Coprophagous Flesh-eating | Haematophagous | Haematophagous |
Potential feeding bias | Between classes of vertebrates, species dependent | Between classes of vertebrates, primarily mammals | Between and within classes of vertebrates, single host specificity documented, species dependent | Between and within classes of vertebrates, single host specificity documented, species dependent |
Size of “host”-meal | <15 mL | <60 μL | 2-10 μL | <1 mL |
Multiple detectable meals | Possibly | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Percentage of samples containing amplifiable host DNA | 20–85 % | 20–50 % | 40–80 % | 40–50 % |
Host individual ID | Yes | Yes (1 %) | Yes (30 %) | N/A |
Temporal scale (Time last meal remains detectable) | Months–1 year | Days | <1 week | Weeks - 10 months (depending on life cycle stage) |
Spatial scale (Distance from last “meal” to collection site) | < 1 km | < few kilometres | Few meters | Few meters |