Archiacanthocephala

Article By:

Moore, Donald V. Department of Microbiology, Southwestern Medical School, University of Texas, Dallas, Texas.

Last reviewed:October 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.048200

A class of the phylum Acanthocephala. The adult worms are parasitic in terrestrial vertebrates. The body wall and lemnisci of species in this class have numerous amitotically fragmented nuclei or a few ameboid giant nuclei. The main trunks of the lacunar system are dorsal and ventral, or dorsal. Typically, there are eight separate cement glands in the male. Two ligament sacs are present in the female, one dorsal, the other ventral. They are persistent and united with the openings of the uterine bell. The eggs are elliptical and have a thick shell. The proboscis receptacle has a conspicuous ventral cleft or is a closed sac with two concentric muscle layers. The proboscis hooks occur in long rows or spiral rows, and the trunk lacks spines. The cystacanth occurs in grubs, roaches, and grasshoppers. Some common archiacanthocephalans are Oncicola canis, Moniliformis moniliformis, and Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus.

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