Archiacanthocephala
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Archiacanthocephala
(¦är·kē·ə′kan·thə′sef·ə·lə)
(invertebrate zoology) An order of worms in the phylum Acanthocephala; adults are endoparasites of terrestrial vertebrates.
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Archiacanthocephala
An order of the phylum Acanthocephala. The adult worms are parasitic in terrestrial vertebrates. Some common archiacanthocephalans are Oncicola canis, Moniliformis moniliformis, and Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus.
Oncicola canis is a short plump acanthocephalan, primarily parasitic in dogs and other Canidae. It occurs also in cats. The body of the adult, 0.24–0.56 in. (6–14 mm) long, is short and heavy with irregular cross furrows. The globular proboscis has six spiral rows of six hooks each. The arthropod intermediate host is unknown. Cystacanths have been found in armadillos and in the esophageal walls of turkeys, which indicates a transport host in the life cycle.
Moniliformis moniliformis is an elongate acanthocephalan which is parasitic in house rats. The females are 4–12 in. (10–30 cm) long, whereas the males measure 2.4–5.2 in. (6–13 cm). The body of both sexes exhibits conspicuous pseudosegmentation except on the extremities. The proboscis is cylindrical with 12–15 rows of 10 or 11 hooks each. Cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) serve as the intermediate host; however, in Europe a beetle, Blaps mucronata, is the intermediate host. Occasionally infections have been found in humans.
Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus is the giant thornheaded worm of hogs and is probably the best known of all acanthocephalans because of its cosmopolitan distribution. Females measure 10–24 in. (25–60 cm) in length and the males 2–4 in. (5–10 cm). The worms are pinkish with a transversely wrinkled body which tapers from a rather broad anterior end to a slender posterior end. The proboscis is globular with six spiral rows of six hooks each. At least 25 species of scarabaeid beetle larvae have been reported as intermediate hosts. In addition to their occurrence in the domestic pig, adults have been reported to occur in squirrels, chipmunks, moles, and occasionally humans. This acanthocephalan is of considerable economic importance to the hog-raising industry. See also Acanthocephala.
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