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
editGigantorhynchida contains three genera.[5]
Gigantorhynchus
editThe genus Gigantorhynchus contains six species with G. echinodiscus as the type species. It was described by Hamann in 1892.[6] 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][7] 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.[8] There is pronounced sexual dimorphism with the female often two or more times longer than the male.[2] Gigantorhynchus species infest marsupials and myrmecophagids (anteaters) in Central and South America.[2]
Intraproboscis
editThe genus Intraproboscis Amin, Heckmann, Sist, and Basso, 2021[9] contains one species, I. sanghae . It was found infesting the African black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) in the Central African Republic.[9]
Mediorhynchus
editMediorhynchus Van Cleave, 1916 contains at least 59 species.
Distribution
editGigantorhynchus is found in mammals in South America and baboons in Africa. Intraproboscis is found in mammals in Africa, and Mediorhynchus is found in birds worldwide. [10]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ Encyclopedia of Life www.eol.org
- ^ a b c d e f g 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. Bibcode:2019IJPPW..10..281N. 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".
- ^ Hamann, O. (1892). "Das System der Acanthocephalen" [The system of Acanthocephalans]. Zoologischer Anzeiger (in German). 15: 195–197. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ 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): 222–238. doi:10.1645/20-126. PMID 33711161. S2CID 232217193.
- ^ https://cms.turkiyeparazitolderg.org/Uploads/Article_64634/TPD-48-66.pdf [bare URL PDF]
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