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Glite Dictionary
Acanthocephala

Acanthocephala

9.9
Wormlike parasites with spines that live in animal intestines
  • noun
  • /ˌækənˈθoʊsəˌfɛlə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Acanthocephala
  • The Acanthocephala attach themselves to the intestines of their hosts using spines on their heads.

Examples

  • Researchers discovered a new type of Acanthocephala within the digestive tract of fish.

  • Studying the life cycle of Acanthocephala helps scientists understand their impact on aquatic ecosystems.

  • Acanthocephala, Omar M. Amin. In press.

    Academic text (1996)

  • This new species of Acanthocephala is characterized by a spinous, slender body with a reticular lacunar system.

    Academic text (2015)

Synonyms

spiny-headed worm
vsAcanthocephala
  • Specialized
9.9

A parasite that lives in animal intestines and can pull its spiny head back to hold on

refers to the whole taxonomic group rather than a single organism

Surface Forms

Acanthocephala singular
Acanthocephalas plural

Morphology

Acanthocephala = acantho + cephal + a

The term is a specialized scientific compound formed from Greek combining forms that are not productive standalone English words, so its meaning is not derivable by an average B1 learner from the parts.

Etymology

Acanthocephala comes from Greek parts acanth- 'spine' and -cephala 'head', so it literally means 'spiny-headed'. These are parasitic worms that have a spiny head they use to hold on inside an animal's intestine.