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Acanthocephala

(ə-kăn′thə-sĕf′ə-lə)
n.
  1. Any of various worms of the phylum Acanthocephala that live parasitically in the intestines of vertebrates and are characterized by a cylindrical, retractile proboscis that bears many rows of hooked spines.spiny-headed worm
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Related formsa•can′tho•ceph′a•lan (-lən) null adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Examples from the Web for acanthocephala

Historical Examples

  • The invertebrates: Acanthocephala, Aschelminthes, and Endoprocta.

    The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches

    Louis M. Roth

  • The life-cycle of Moniliformis moniliformis (Bremser, 1811), Acanthocephala.