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Most beautiful animal phyla 1: Acanthocephala


jamjarf

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This is my first in a series of articles I will be writing on beautiful animals in each animal phylum. Please write down what your favourite animal is in each phylum below!

The word comes from Greek akanthos and kephale (thorn and head respectively). So all Acanthocephalans are characterised by the synapomorphic trait of a spiky proboscis which has been turned inside out and looks somewhat like a thorny head

 

This phylum should not be confused with the genus of the same name, which belongs to a group of new world insect species which we are not interested in

 

Candidate: Pomphorhynchus laevis

 

It was a bit difficult to choose a species for this phylum due to the lack of physical variation within Acanthocephalae, so I went for the species which I thought had the most striking colouration. Pomphorhynchus laevis certainly stands out in this respect, showing off its bright orange hue whilst stuck to the gut walls of various species of fish and crustaceans. Indeed, all individuals of this phylum are parasitic and have a particularly complex life cycle, infecting multiple different aquatic organisms as it progresses through its own life stages. The sharp spikes on its eversible proboscis is used to stick to its host. In fact its proboscis has such a strong adhesive force that it has inspired a new type of skin graft with similar thorns on it to stick very well to the patient receiving the graft whilst causing minimal damage to the patient during application and removal. This is an example of biomimetics

 

The P.laevis are deceptively clever as well. By altering the serotonergic activity of their host’s brain (in G.pulex), they are able to make the host exhibit photophilia as opposed to the photophobia commonly found in uninfected G.pulex. This makes the host more likely to be detected by predators as they are more visible under the light. If the predator ingests the host, it makes transmission of P.laevis much more likely

 

This beautiful spiky head worm causes all sorts of lasting damage to its various hosts. For example, it reduces the concentration of phenoloxidase enzyme in the host, inhibiting its immune system and making it more susceptible to infection by bacteria. It also inhibits the host’s digestive system by releasing various neurochemicals into the alimentary tract

 

 

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Honestly this one was difficult to choose as all Acanthocephalans look kinda similar and not the most appealing to the eye...

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Sorry, but this isn't a blog. This is a science discussion forum. Please DO NOT write "a series of articles" about anything here.

If you wish to discuss science, please open up a topic. This is more like you're trying to teach people, and we have more trusted sources for that. Thanks for understanding.

 
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