The picture to the left, though it may be hard to see, labels all of the muscles of a leech. Leeches are very similar to earthworms in that they have a circular and longitudinal muscle layer. The circular layer is the closest to the epidermis. In between the two layers is the oblique muscle which is also found on humans near the stomach area. The innermost layer of muscle within a leech is called the dorsoventral muscle. It is largely responsible for the posture of the leech and its locomotory activities of swimming and crawling. When the aforementioned muscle layers contract, they aid in movement of the leech.
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