spiny-headed worm

[spahy-nee-hed-id]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any of a small group of endoparasites of the phylum Acanthocephala, as larvae parasitic in insects and crustaceans and as adults in various vertebrates.

spiny-headed worm

See acanthocephalan

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of spiny-headed worm¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

After burrowing into the walls of a fish's intestines, the spiny-headed worm Pomphorhynchus laevis inflates its proboscis to better embed itself in the soft tissue.

From

spiny-finned spiny lizard

Browse