Whitmania pigra (species of leech)
A specific species of leech, Whitmania pigra. Used in biological contexts.
Whitmania pigra is a large leech that inhabits ponds and marshes.
Katakana spelling is common for this species name; usually written in kana.
Kanji form is rare; the word is usually written in kana.
The name literally means 'horse leech', from 馬 (uma, 'horse') and 蛭 (hiru, 'leech'), but the exact derivation is uncertain.