General morphology follows that of most other leeches. Fully mature adults can be up to 20 cm in length and are green, brown or greenish brown with a darker tone on the dorsal side and a lighter ventral side, the dorsal side also has a thin red stripe. These organisms have two suckers, one at each end, called the anterior(male) and posterior(female) sucker. The posterior is mainly used for leverage while the anterior sucker(male), consisting of the jaw and teeth, is where the feeding takes place. Medicinal leeches have three jaws (tripartite) that look like little saws, and on them are about 100 sharp teeth used to incise the host.