Oligacanthorhynchida is an order containing a single

parasitic worm Parasitic worms, also known as helminths, are a polyphyletic group of large macroparasites; adults can generally be seen with the naked eye. Many are intestinal worms that are soil-transmitted and infect the gastrointestinal tract. Other par ...

family, Oligacanthorhynchidae,Encyclopedia of Life www.eol.org that attach themselves to the intestinal wall of terrestrial

vertebrates Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

Taxonomy and description

Genera

''Oligacanthorhynchida'' contains twelve genera.

Cucullanorhynchus

The genus ''Cucullanorhynchus'' Amin, Ha and Heckmann, 2008 is named for the anterior hood. It was described in 2008 based on samples collected from the intestines of mammals between 1998 and 2004 in Vietnam. ''C. constrictruncatus'' is the only species in the genus. It has been found in the intestine of the

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...

(''Panthera pardus'') in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. The trunk has an anterior hood in both sexes and a posterior constriction in females. The species name derives from this constriction near the posterior end of females.

Heptamegacanthus

''Heptamegacanthus'' is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genus with ''Heptamegacanthus niekerki'' being the only species. It is a

parasite Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted str ...

of the endangered

giant golden mole The giant golden mole (''Chrysospalax trevelyani'') is a small mammal found in Africa. At in length, it is the largest of the golden mole species. This mole (animal), mole has dark, glossy brown fur; the name ''golden'' comes from the Greek lang ...

(''Chrysospalax trevelyani'') found only in isolated forests near

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

and in the

Transkei Transkei ( , meaning ''the area beyond Great Kei River,

he river The He River is a tributary of the Xi River in Guangxi and Guangdong provinces in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it ...

Kei''), officially the Republic of Transkei (), was an list of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa f ...

, both in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. On the

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular arthropod mouthparts, mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a pr ...

, there are 40 to 45 of these hooks arranged in rings that are not

radially symmetrical Symmetry in biology refers to the symmetry observed in organisms, including plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria. External symmetry can be easily seen by just looking at an organism. For example, the face of a human being has a plane of symme ...

, with seven large

anterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pro ...

hooks. The hooks in the anterior ring are twice as large as those in the second ring and the remaining hooks decrease progressively in size

posteriorly Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position provi ...

. The worms are about long and wide with minimal

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

Macracanthorhynchus

The genus ''Macracanthorhynchus'' Travassos, 1917 contains four species.

Multisentis

The genus ''Multisentis'' Smales, 1997 contains one species, ''Multisentis myrmecobius'' Smales, 1997Smales Lesley R. (1997) Multisentis myrmecobius, gen. et. sp. nov. (Acanthocephala: Oligacanthorhynchidae), from the Numbat, Myrmecobius fasciatus, and a Key to Genera of the Oligacanthorhynchidae. Invertebrate Systematics 11, 301-307. https://doi.org/10.1071/IT95023 ''M. myrmecobius'' infests the

numbat The numbat (''Myrmecobius fasciatus''), also known as the noombat or walpurti, is an insectivorous marsupial. It is diurnal and its diet consists almost exclusively of termites. The species was once widespread across southern Australia, but i ...

(''Myrmecobius fasciatus'') from which it derives its species name. The intermediate host is presumed to involve termites, the main diet of the numbat. It was found in south-western Australia.

Neoncicola

The genus ''Neoncicola'' Schmidt, 1972 contains nine species. The distinguishing characteristic separating ''Neoncicola'' from these similar genera is that it possesses 30 hooks, as opposed to 36 for ''Oncicola'' and more than 36 for ''Pachysentis''.

Nephridiacanthus

The genus ''Nephridiacanthus'' Meyer, 1931 contains eight species.

Oligacanthorhynchus

The genus ''Oligacanthorhynchus'' Travassos, 1915 contains numerous species. The trunk is cylindrical and smooth or irregularly ringed. The

is generally globular being somewhat longer than it is wide and has stout hooks in left handed spiral rows, with their point obliquely cut and their root produced forwards. The proboscis receptacle consists of a thick inner wall i inserted into inside of proboscis which is shrinks along the ventral side, and a thinner outer wall inserted at base of neck. A series of intercommunicating spaces branching from two median main vessels and numerous longitudinal and circular

anastomoses An anastomosis (, : anastomoses) is a connection or opening between two things (especially cavities or passages) that are normally diverging or branching, such as between blood vessels, leaf#Veins, leaf veins, or streams. Such a connection may be ...

in the

hypodermis The subcutaneous tissue (), also called the hypodermis, hypoderm (), subcutis, or superficial fascia, is the lowermost layer of the integumentary system in vertebrates. The types of cells found in the layer are fibroblasts, adipose cells, and ...

form the lacunar system. Protonephridia are present. The lemnisci are

filiform Filiform, thread or filament like, can refer to: * Filiform, a common term used in botany to describe a thread-like shape *Filiform, or filiform catheter, a medical device whose component parts or segments are all cylindrical and more or less un ...

with a central canal and numerous nuclei. In the far posterior of the male, there are testes and eight cement glands used to temporarily close the posterior end of the female after copulation.Rabie, S. A., AbdEl-Latif, M. E. D. Z., Mohamed, N. I., & El-Hussin, O. F. A. Description of Some Acanthocephalan Species from Some Reptiles in Qena Governorate. url=http://www.aun.edu.eg/uploaded_full_txt/27206_full_txt.pdf The eggs are almost spherical with shells that are radially

striated Striations means a series of ridges, furrows or linear marks, and is used in several ways: * Glacial striation * Striation (fatigue), in material * Striation (geology), a ''striation'' as a result of a geological fault * Striation Valley, in Anta ...

. Hosts include birds with snakes being the

intermediate host In biology and medicine, a host is a larger organism that harbours a smaller organism; whether a parasitic, a mutualistic, or a commensalist ''guest'' (symbiont). The guest is typically provided with nourishment and shelter. Examples include ...

s. *''Oligacanthorhynchus aenigma'' (Reichensperger, 1922) *''Oligacanthorhynchus atratus'' (Meyer, 1931) *''Oligacanthorhynchus bangalorensis'' (Pujatti, 1951) *''Oligacanthorhynchus carinii'' (Travassos, 1917) *''Oligacanthorhynchus cati'' (Gupta and Lata, 1967) *''Oligacanthorhynchus circumplexus'' (Molin, 1858) *''Oligacanthorhynchus citilli'' (Rudolphi, 1806) *''Oligacanthorhynchus compressus'' (Rudolphi, 1802) *''Oligacanthorhynchus decrescens'' (Meyer, 1931) *''Oligacanthorhynchus erinacei'' (Rudolphi, 1793) *''Oligacanthorhynchus hamatus'' ( von Linstow, 1897) *''Oligacanthorhynchus iheringi'' Travassos, 1917 *''Oligacanthorhynchus indicus'' Rengaraju and Das, 1981 *''Oligacanthorhynchus kamerunensis'' (Meyer, 1931) *''Oligacanthorhynchus kamtschaticus'' Hokhlova, 1966 *''Oligacanthorhynchus lagenaeformis'' (Westrumb, 1821) *''Oligacanthorhynchus lamasi'' (Freitas and Costa, 1964) *''Oligacanthorhynchus lerouxi'' (Bisseru, 1956) *''Oligacanthorhynchus major'' (Machado-Filho, 1963) *''Oligacanthorhynchus manifestus'' (Leidy, 1851) *''Oligacanthorhynchus mariemily'' (Tadros, 1969) *''Oligacanthorhynchus microcephala'' (Rudolphi, 1819) *''Oligacanthorhynchus minor'' Machado-Filho, 1964 *''Oligacanthorhynchus oligacanthus'' (Rudolphi, 1819) *''Oligacanthorhynchus oti'' Machado-Filho, 1964 *''Oligacanthorhynchus pardalis'' (Westrumb, 1821) *''Oligacanthorhynchus ricinoides'' (Rudolphi, 1808) *''Oligacanthorhynchus shillongensis'' (Sen and Chauhan, 1972) *''Oligacanthorhynchus spira'' (Diesing, 1851) *''Oligacanthorhynchus taenioides'' (Diesing, 1851) *''Oligacanthorhynchus thumbi'' Haffner, 1939 *''Oligacanthorhynchus tortuosa'' (Leidy, 1850) *''Oligacanthorhynchus tumidus'' (Van Cleve, 1947)

Oncicola

The genus ''Oncicola'' Travassos, 1916 contains many species. *''Oncicola campanulata'' (Diesing, 1851) *''Oncicola canis'' (Kaupp, 1909) *''Oncicola chibigouzouensis'' Machado-Filho, 1963 *''Oncicola confusa'' (Machado-Filho, 1950) *''Oncicola dimorpha'' Meyer, 1931 *''Oncicola freitasi'' (Machado-Filho, 1950) *''Oncicola gigas'' Meyer, 1931 *''Oncicola justatesticularis'' (Machado-Filho, 1950) *''Oncicola luehei'' (Travassos, 1917) *''Oncicola machadoi'' Schmidt, 1917 *''Oncicola macrurae'' Meyer, 1931 *''Oncicola magalhaesi'' Machado-Filho, 1962 *''Oncicola malayanus'' Toumanoff, 1947 *''Oncicola martini'' Schmidt, 1977 *''Oncicola michaelseni'' Meyer, 1932 *''Oncicola micracantha'' Machado-Filho, 1949 *''Oncicola oncicola'' (von Ihering, 1892) *''Oncicola paracampanulata Machado-Filho, 1963 *''Oncicola pomatostomi'' (Johnston and Cleland, 1912) *''Oncicola schacheri'' Schmidt, 1972 *''Oncicola signoides'' (Meyer, 1932) *''Oncicola spirula'' (Olferas, 1819) *''Oncicola travassosi'' Witenberg, 1938 *''Oncicola venezuelensis'' Marteau, 1977

Pachysentis

The genus ''Pachysentis'' contains ten species with ''Pachysentis canicola'' being the type species. It was described by Meyer in 1931. They look identical to ''Oncicola'' apart from the number of hooks on the proboscis. Species of ''Oncicola'' have 36 or less hooks whereas species of ''Pachysentis'' have more. Specifically, the

is not quite spherical and contains 42 to 102 hooks arranged into 12 longitudinal rows 3 to 12 hooks each. The rows may be regularly or irregularly alternating and straight or crooked. Hooks have tips with or without barbs, and the larger hooks with complex manubria and roots with the remaining spines being rootless. The trunk is fairly wide relative to the length with the anterior half usually wider than the posterior half. The testes are in tandem with at least one located before the middle of the worm. There are eight cement glands compactly arranged each with single giant nucleus used to temporarily close the posterior end of the female after copulation. The eggs have a sculptured outer membrane. Hosts include

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian or

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

ian carnivores. Species can be distinguished based on the number and arrangements of proboscis hooks, whether these hooks are barbed, the arrangement of the cement glands, host, and the length of lemnisci.

Paraprosthenorchis

''Paraprosthenorchis'' Amin, Ha and Heckmann, 2008 have a trunk over 200 mm long, ornate proboscis with three non-barbed hooks in each of 16 rows. They have simple hook roots without manubria, and a large oblong horizontally posterior hook base. There are about 35 festoons. Protonephridia are gill-like and capsular. Gonopore is terminal. The primary host are Manidae in

with ants and

termites Termites are a group of detritophagous eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, and soil humus. They are distinguished by their moniliform antennae and the sof ...

as intermediate hosts. This genus is named for its nearest oligacanthorhynchid genus, ''Prosthenorchis''. ''P. ornatus'' has been found in the intestine of the

Chinese pangolin The Chinese pangolin (''Manis pentadactyla'') is a pangolin native to the northern Indian subcontinent, northern parts of Southeast Asia and southern China. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2014, as the wild ...

(''Manis pentadactyla'') collected from the Hanoi Zoological Park,

. The anterior trunk has many small festoons and proboscis hooks are inserted in elevated papillae separated by beady, near hexagonal, ornate grids. The species is named for its uniquely ornate proboscis.

Prosthenorchis

''Prosthenorchis'' Travassos, 1915 have a trunk up to 50 mm long, a proboscis that is not ornate with three barbed hooks in each of 12 rows. They have complex hook roots with large manubria, and a small discoid posterior hook base. There are up to 23 festoons. Gonopore is subterminal. The primary host are primates in South America and Felidae in Africa with cockroaches and

beetles Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

as intermediate hosts.

Tchadorhynchus

The genus ''Tchadorhynchus'' Troncy, 1970 was erected as the single species contained within differs from related Oligacanthorhynchidae genera by morphological features of bot the adult and embryo as well as the group of hosts, hyenas, the worms parasitize. ''T. quentini''Troncy, P. M. (1970). A contribution to the study of helminths in Africa, mainly Chad. Bulletin du Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 41(6), 1487-1511. was found parasitizing the

striped hyena The striped hyena (''Hyaena hyaena'') is a species of hyena native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Hyaena''. It is listed by the IU ...

(''Hyaena hyaena'') and the

spotted hyena The spotted hyena (''Crocuta crocuta''), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus ''Crocuta'', native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUC ...

(''Crocuta crocuta'') in

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

Hosts

''Oligacanthorhynchidae'' species parasitize mammals with insect and lizard intermediate hosts. File:Leopard africa.jpg, The

is a host of ''Cucullanorhynchus constrictruncatus'' File:Vulpes vulpes at Eshel HaNasi3, israel.jpg, ''

Oncicola schacheri ''Oncicola'' is a genus of parasitic worms belonging to the family Oligacanthorhynchidae. ''Oncicola'' belongs to the phylum Acanthocephalans that include many thorny-headed worms. This family contains 12 genera including the genus ''Oncicola''. ...

'' was found parasitizing the Palestinian subspecies of the

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

File:Manis pentadactyla (29054818144).jpg, alt=Chinese pangolin in grass, The

is a host of ''Paraprosthenorchis ornatus''

Notes

References

{{Authority control Acanthocephala families Archiacanthocephala