Palaeacanthocephala
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Palaeacanthocephala | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Proboscis of a Rhadinorhynchus species
|
||||||||||||
Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Orders | ||||||||||||
Echinorhynchida |
Palaeacanthocephala ("ancient thornheads") is a class within the phylum Acanthocephala. The adults of these parasitic platyzoans feed mainly on fish, aquatic birds and mammals.
The nuclei of the hyperdermis {outer layer of skin) are fragmented and the males have two to seven cement glands unlike their relatives the Archiacanthocephala which always have eight.
Wikispecies has information related to: