Aschelminthes
Aschelminth, phylum name Aschelminthes, or Nemathelminthes, a name referring to an obsolete phylum of wormlike invertebrates, mostly of microscopic size. Previously, phylum Aschelminthes included seven diverse classes of animals: Nematoda (or Nemata), Rotifera, Acanthocephala, Gastrotricha, Kinorhyncha (or Echinodera), Nematomorpha, and Gnathostomulida. (According to some authorities, Gnathostomulida was replaced by Priapula in this list.) At present, each of these classes, including Priapula, has been reclassified as a separate phylum.
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horsehair worm
Horsehair worm, any of the approximately 250 to 300 species of the class Nematomorpha, or Gordiacea (phylum Aschelminthes). The young of these long, thin worms are parasitic in arthropods. The adults are...
rotifer
Rotifer, any of the approximately 2,000 species of microscopic, aquatic invertebrates that constitute the phylum Rotifera. Rotifers are so named because the circular arrangement of moving cilia (tiny hairlike...
kinorhynch
Kinorhynch, any of the approximately 150 species of microscopic marine invertebrates of the phylum Kinorhyncha, widely distributed in the world’s oceans. Kinorhynchs live mostly in the muddy bottoms of...
gastrotrich
Gastrotrich, any of about 500 species of the phylum Gastrotricha, a group of microscopic aquatic invertebrates that live in the spaces between sand grains and soil particles and on the outer coverings...
