Owilfordia
Owilfordia is a genus of Acanthocephala belonging to the family Plagiorhynchidae.
Taxonomy
The genus was described by Schmidt & Kuntz in 1967. The National Center for Biotechnology Information does not indicate that any phylogenetic analysis has been published on any Owilfordia species that would confirm its position as a unique genus in the family Plagiorhynchidae.Description
Owilfordia species consist of a proboscis covered in hooks and a trunk.Species
The genus Owilfordiacontains three species.- Owilfordia olseni
- Owilfordia schmidti
- 'Owilfordia teliger'''''
Distribution
The distribution of Owilfordia is determined by that of its hosts. O. schmidti was found in hosts living in Lucknow, India.Hosts
The life cycle of an acanthocephalan consists of three stages beginning when an infective acanthor is released from the intestines of the definitive host and then ingested by an arthropod, the intermediate host. Although the intermediate hosts of Owilfordia are arthropods. When the acanthor molts, the second stage called the acanthella begins. This stage involves penetrating the wall of the mesenteron or the intestine of the intermediate host and growing. The final stage is the infective cystacanth which is the larval or juvenile state of an Acanthocephalan, differing from the adult only in size and stage of sexual development. The cystacanths within the intermediate hosts are consumed by the definitive host, usually attaching to the walls of the intestines, and as adults they reproduce sexually in the intestines. The acanthor is passed in the feces of the definitive host and the cycle repeats. There may be paratenic hosts for Owilfordia.Owilfordia parasitizes vertebrates. There are no reported cases of Owilfordia infesting humans in the English language medical literature.