Echinorhynchidae Explained

Echinorhynchidae is a family of acanthocephalan parasitic worms from the order Echinorhynchida. The adult worms live in the intestines of fishes, amphibians and reptiles.The family contains the following genera, organised by subfamily.^[1]

• Circinatechinorhynchinae Bhattacharya, 2007
  • Circinatechinorhynchus Bhattacharya, 2007
• Echinorhynchinae Cobbold, 1879
  • Acanthocephalus Koelreuther, 1771
  • Brasacanthus Thatcher, 2001
  • Echinorhynchus Zoega in Müller, 1776
  • Frilloechinorhynchus Bhattacharya, 2007
  • Solearhynchus de Buron & Maillard, 1985
• Incertae sedis
  • Neoacanthocephaloides Cable & Quick, 1954
  • Pseudoacanthocephalus Petrochenko, 1958 - This genus parasitizes amphibians and reptiles globally.^[2]
    • Pseudoacanthocephalus goodmani^[3] was found infesting Sclerophrys gutturalis, an invasive species on the island of Mauritius.^[3]
    • Pseudoacanthocephalus lutzi^[3] was found infesting cane toad in the Americas.^[3]
    • Pseudoacanthocephalus nickoli was found infesting Sanguirana luzonensis and Hylarana similis on Luzon Island, Philippines.^[2]
    • Pseudoacanthocephalus smalesi was found infesting Sphenomorphus abdictus on Luzon Island, Philippines.^[2]

In 2019, Kvach & de Buron added to the family a new species, Harpagorhynchus golvaneuzeti, which represents a new genus, Harpagorhynchus and a new subfamily, the Harpagorhynchinae.^[4] The specific epithet refers to two famous French parasitologists, Yves-Jean Golvan and Louis Euzet.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Amin, A. O. (2013). Classification of the acanthocephala. Folia Parasitologica, 60(4), 273–305.
2. Tkach, V.V., Lisitsyna, O.I., Crossley, J.L. et al. Morphological and molecular differentiation of two new species of Pseudoacanthocephalus Petrochenko, 1958 (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae) from amphibians and reptiles in the Philippines, with identification key for the genus. Syst Parasitol 85, 11–26 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-013-9409-8.
3. Smales, L. R., Allain, S. J. R., Wilkinson, J. W., & Harris, E. (2020). A new species of Pseudoacanthocephalus (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae) from the guttural toad, Sclerophrys gutturalis (Bufonidae), introduced into Mauritius, with comments on the implications of the introductions of toads and their parasites into the UK. Journal of Helminthology, 94, E119. doi:10.1017/S0022149X19001044
4. Kvach. Yuriy. de Buron. Isaure. Description of Harpagorhynchus golvaneuzeti n. gen. n. sp. (Acanthocephala, Harpagorhynchinae n. sub-fam.) with a review of acanthocephalan parasites of soleid fishes in the Mediterranean Basin. Parasite. 26. 2019. 15. 1776-1042. 10.1051/parasite/2019012. 30848245. 6407431.