Juracanthocephalus

Juracanthocephalus
Temporal range:
Middle Jurassic (Callovian),
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Acanthocephala
Genus: Juracanthocephalus
Luo et al., 2025[2][4]
Species:
J. daohugouensis
Binomial name
Juracanthocephalus daohugouensis
Luo et al., 2025[2][3]

Juracanthocephalus is an extinct, monospecific genus of stem-group[5] acanthocephalan (thorny-headed worm) that lived in the Jiulongshan Formation during the Callovian age of the Middle Jurassic, 165 Ma.[1][2]

It shares features with both Seisonidea and Acanthocephala, suggesting they are sister groups, with Juracanthocephalus being a transitional form between the two.[2]

The type and only species is Juracanthocephalus daohugouensis.[2][4]

References

  1. ^ a b Caton, Emma (1 May 2025). "Jurassic fossil of a parasitic worm fills evolutionary gap | Natural History Museum". Natural History Museum. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e Luo, Cihang; Parry, Luke A.; Boudinot, Brendon E.; Wang, Shengyu; Jarzembowski, Edmund A.; Zhang, Haichun; Wang, Bo (2025). "A Jurassic acanthocephalan illuminates the origin of thorny-headed worms". Nature. 641 (8063): 674–680. Bibcode:2025Natur.641..674L. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08830-5. PMID 40205043.
  3. ^ Juracanthocephalus daohugouensis in the Paleobiology Database
  4. ^ a b Juracanthocephalus in the Paleobiology Database
  5. ^ Chinese Academy of Sciences (22 April 2025). "Mystery Solved? 160-Million-Year-Old Fossil Reveals Origins of Thorny-Headed Worms". SciTechDaily. Retrieved 30 January 2026.