Polyacanthorhynchus


Polyacanthorhynchidae is a family of parasitic worms from the. It contains a single genus Polyacanthorhynchus.

Taxonomy

Phylogenetic analysis has found that polyacanthocephala represents a distinct class of acanthocephalans.

Species

There are four species in the genus Polyacanthorhynchus .
The complete genome of the mitochondria has been determined. P. caballeroi infect South American caimans.
P. kenyensis has been found infecting three freshwater teleosts: the Blue spotted tilapia, the Redbelly tilapia, and the Largemouth bass in Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Samples were found in the liver of Tilapia and Orechromis and free in the body cavity in Micropterus It is the newest

  • Polyacanthorhynchus macrorhynchus
P. macrorhynchus infect South American caimans.
Pirarucu collected in August 2004 from Araguaia River were found to have high prevelance values of P. rhopalorhynchus in their intestines.
Cystacanths of P. rhopalorhynchus also have been found in the viscera of Hoplias malabaricus from Moca Vie River, Las Palquitas, Bolivia. Cystacanths were not deeply embedded in liver tissue but in a collagenous connective tissue capsule surrounded and attached the to the liver surface. Necrosis of hepatocytes and subsequent
inflammatory response were observed near encapsulated P. rhopalorhynchus. P. rhopalorhynchus'' infect South American caimans. Cyscanaths had: The number of proboscis hook rows was 16-18 posteriorly gradually decreasing in size. There are 8-10 circles of anterior cuticular trunk spines with about 34-40 minute spines each. Lemnisci not pronounced.
Male cystacanths were 1.985-2.978 mm long by 397-662 wide significantly smaller than the adult size size of adult males of 40-55 mm long. Females are larger with female cystacanths were 2.445-2.813 mm long by 430-496 wide significantly smaller than the adult size size of adult males of 50-70 mm long. Male cystacanth proboscis were smaller than female cystacanth proboscis. Male cystacanth proboscis receptacle were also smaller than the female cystacanth proboscis recepticle.

Hosts

Polyacanthorhynchus species parasitize fish and caimans.