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Acanthocephala
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Outline of the biology of Acanthocephala, including their features, reproduction and life cycle, ecology, and classification.
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Phylum Acanthocephala Acanthocephala not noticed until beginning of the 18th century, not distinguished until Koelreuther (1771) proposes the name Acanthocephala B. Muller (1776) unaware,of Koelreuther's work calls them Echinorhynchus. C. Rudolphi (1809) formally gives them the name Acanthocephala. D. Many species were...Images and brief description.
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Acanthocephala (thorny-headed worms) Acanthocephalans are not encountered as commonly as parasitic flatworms (trematodes and tapeworms) or nematodes, yet they are found in many species of fishes, amphibians, birds, and mammals. Several morphological characteristics serve to separate acanthocephalans from other parasitic worms, but probably...Brief description and images of this phylum of parasitic invertebrate animals.
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General Biology (Course for Biology Majors) They are usually under an inch long, but some species can grow up to 26 inches in length. All species are parasitic, attaching to their host with a protuding, retractable proboscis made of curved spines. The larvae live in crustaceans,...