Apororhynchus

Apororhynchus
Drawing of Apororhynchus hemignathi by Arthur Shipley in 1896. This is the original sketch of the first species in the genus Apororhynchus to be described.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Acanthocephala
Class:	Archiacanthocephala
Order:	Apororhynchida Thapar, 1927[2]
Family:	Apororhynchidae Shipley, 1899[1]
Genus:	Apororhynchus Shipley, 1899
Type species
Apororhynchus hemignathi (Shipley, 1896)
Other species
Apororhynchus aculeatus Apororhynchus amphistomi Apororhynchus chauhani Apororhynchus paulonucleatus Apororhynchus silesiacus

Apororhynchus is a genus of small parasitic spiny-headed (or thorny-headed) worms. It is the only genus in the family Apororhynchidae, which in turn is the only member of the order Apororhynchida.^[3] A lack of features commonly found in the phylum Acanthocephala (primarily musculature) suggests an evolutionary branching from the other three orders of class Archiacanthocephala; however no genetic analysis has been completed to determine the evolutionary relationship between species. The distinguishing features of this order among archiacanthocephalans is a highly enlarged proboscis which contain small hooks. The musculature around the proboscis (the proboscis receptacle and receptacle protrusor) is also structured differently in this order. This genus contains six species that are distributed globally, being collected sporadically in Hawaii, Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. These worms exclusively parasitize birds by attaching themselves around the cloaca using their hook-covered proboscis. The bird hosts are of different orders, including owls, waders, and passerines. Infestation by an Apororhynchus species may cause enteritis and anemia.