Acanthocephala

[ə-kăn′thə-sĕf′ə-lə]

n.

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

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 of acanthocephala

The invertebrates: Acanthocephala, Aschelminthes, and Endoprocta.
The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches
Louis M. Roth
The life-cycle of Moniliformis moniliformis (Bremser, 1811), Acanthocephala.
The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches
Louis M. Roth