Phylum - Acanthocephala
Common name: Thorny-headed Worms
Name derivation: “thorn head”
- Class: Archiacanthocephala
- Class: Eoacanthocephala
- Class: Palaeacanthocephala
- Class: Polyacanthocephala
Number of Orders: 10
Number of Families: 26
Number of Genus: 152
Number of known Species: 1,330
Earliest Fossil Record: Late Cretaceous 70 - 80 mya
Habitat: Parasitic (Marine, Freshwater, Terrestrial)
Size Range: 1 mm to 65 cm
Notes: Probably descended from Rotifers. Based on Catalogue of Life as of July 2024