page_title: Acanthocephala
section_title: Life cycles
hierarchical_section_title: Acanthocephala / Life cycles
caption_attribution_description: English: Pomphorhynchus from Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix)
context_page_description: Acanthocephala is a phylum of parasitic worms known as acanthocephalans, thorny-headed worms, or spiny-headed worms, characterized by the presence of an eversible proboscis, armed with spines, which it uses to pierce and hold the gut wall of its host. Acanthocephalans have complex life cycles, involving at least two hosts, which may include invertebrates, fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals.
  About 1420 species have been described.
  The Acanthocephala were thought to be a discrete phylum. Recent genome analysis has shown that they are descended from, and should be considered as, highly modified rotifers. This unified taxon is known as Syndermata.
caption: Adult Pomphorhynchus in a bluefish
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