Gigantorhynchida is an order containing a single family, Gigantorhynchidae[1] of Acanthocephala (thorny-headed worms, also known as spiny-headed worms) that parasitize vertebrates by attaching themselves to the intestinal wall of their host. There are over 60 species classified into three genera in Gigantorhynchida Gigantorhynchus, Intraproboscis, and Mediorhynchus.
| Giganthorhynchidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Gigantorhynchus ortizi | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Acanthocephala |
| Class: | Archiacanthocephala |
| Order: | Gigantorhynchida Southwell and Macfie, 1925 |
| Family: | Giganthorhynchidae Hamann, 1892 |
Taxonomy edit
| Archiacanthocephala |
| Phylogenetic reconstruction for select species in the class Archiacanthocephala[2][3] |
Phylogenetically, the family Gigantorhynchidae is sister to the family Moniliformidae, represented by sequences of Moniliformis Moniliformis that form a supported monophyletic group. The group formed by Gigantorhynchidae and Moniliformidae suggest it to be a sister to the group formed by sequences of Macracanthorhynchus ingens and Oncicola venezuelensis[2] A new taxonomic analysis has been performed.[4]
Genera edit
Gigantorhynchida contains the following three genera:[5]
- Gigantorhynchus Hamann, 1892
There are six species of Gigantorhynchus with G. echinodiscus as the type species. The genus Gigantorhynchus is characterized by the presence of a cylindrical proboscis with a crown of robust hooks at the apex followed by numerous small hooks on the rest of the proboscis.[2][6] The body, or trunk, is long with pseudosegmentation, the lemnisci are filiform, and the testes are ellipsoid.[2] Species of Gigantorhynchus are distinguished based on the number and size of hooks on the crown of the proboscis, the type of pseudosegmentation, and size of the ellipsoid eggs.[2] Males of all species possess eight cement glands which are used to temporarily close the posterior end of the female after copulation.[7] There is pronounced sexual dimorphism with the female often two or more times longer than the male.[2]
- Intraproboscis Amin, Heckmann, Sist, and Basso, 2021[8]
- There is one species, Intraproboscis sanghae in this genus. It was found infesting the African black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) in the Central African Republic.[8]
- Mediorhynchus Van Cleave, 1916
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ Encyclopedia of Life www.eol.org
- ^ a b c d e f Nascimento Gomes, Ana Paula; Cesário, Clarice Silva; Olifiers, Natalie; de Cassia Bianchi, Rita; Maldonado, Arnaldo; Vilela, Roberto do Val (December 2019). "New morphological and genetic data of Gigantorhynchus echinodiscus (Diesing, 1851) (Acanthocephala: Archiacanthocephala) in the giant anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla Linnaeus, 1758 (Pilosa: Myrmecophagidae)". International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife. 10: 281–288. doi:10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.09.008. PMC 6906829. PMID 31867208.
- ^ Amin, O.M.; Sharifdini, M.; Heckmann, R.A.; Zarean, M. (2020). "New perspectives on Nephridiacanthus major (Acanthocephala: Oligacanthorhynchidae) collected from hedgehogs in Iran". Journal of Helminthology. 94: e133. doi:10.1017/S0022149X20000073. PMID 32114988. S2CID 211725160.
- ^ Rodríguez, S. M., Amin, O. M., Heckmann, R. A., Sharifdini, M., & D’Elía, G. (2022). Phylogeny and life cycles of the Archiacanthocephala with a note on the validity of Mediorhynchus gallinarum. Acta Parasitologica, 1-11.
- ^ "ITIS - Report: Giganthorhynchidae".
- ^ Bhattacharya, S. B. (2007). Handbook on Indian Acanthocephala (PDF). Kolkata, Kinda: Director, Zool. Surv. India, Kolkata. pp. 14–15.
- ^ Bush, Albert O.; Fernández, Jacqueline C.; Esch, Gerald W.; Seed, J. Richard (2001). Parasitism: the diversity and ecology of animal parasites. Cambridge, UK New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. p. 203. ISBN 0-521-66278-8. OCLC 44131774.
- ^ a b Amin, Omar M.; Heckmann, Richard A.; Sist, Birgit; Basso, Walter U. (2021). "A Review of the Parasite Fauna of the Black-Bellied Pangolin, Phataginus tetradactyla Lin. (Manidae), from Central Africa with the Description of Intraproboscis sanghae n. gen., n. sp. (Acanthocephala: Gigantorhynchidae)". Journal of Parasitology. 107 (2). doi:10.1645/20-126. PMID 33711161. S2CID 232217193.
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