Echinorhynchidae, from Ancient Greek ἐχῖνος (ekhînos), meaning "hedgehog", and ῥύγχος (rhúnkhos), meaning "snout", is a family of acanthocephalan parasitic worms from the order Echinorhynchida. The adult worms live in the intestines of fishes, amphibians and reptiles. The family contains the following genera, organised by subfamily.Amin, A. O. (2013). Classification of the acanthocephala. Folia Parasitologica, 60(4), 273–305. Circinatechinorhynchinae Bhattacharya, 2007 Circinatechinorhynchus Bhattacharya, 2007 Echinorhynchinae Cobbold, 1879 Acanthocephalus Koelreuther, 1771 Brasacanthus Thatcher, 2001 Echinorhynchus Zoega in Müller, 1776 Frilloechinorhynchus Bhattacharya, 2007 Solearhynchus de Buron & Maillard, 1985 Incertae sedis Neoacanthocephaloides Cable & Quick, 1954 Pseudoacanthocephalus Petrochenko, 1958 - This genus parasitizes amphibians and reptiles globally.Tkach, V.V., Lisitsyna, O.I., Crossley, J.L. et al. Morphological and molecular differentiation of two new species of Pseudoacanthocephalus Petrochenko, 1958 (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae) from amphibians and reptiles in the Philippines, with identification key for the genus. Syst Parasitol 85, 11–26 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-013-9409-8. Pseudoacanthocephalus goodmaniSmales, L. R., Allain, S. J. R., Wilkinson, J. W., & Harris, E. (2020). A new species of Pseudoacanthocephalus (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae) from the guttural toad, Sclerophrys gutturalis (Bufonidae), introduced into Mauritius, with comments on the implications of the introductions of toads and their parasites into the UK. Journal of Helminthology, 94, E119. doi:10.1017/S0022149X19001044 was found infesting Sclerophrys gutturalis, an invasive species on the island of Mauritius. Pseudoacanthocephalus lutzi was found infesting cane toad in the Americas. Pseudoacanthocephalus nickoli was found infesting Sanguirana luzonensis and Hylarana similis on Luzon Island, Philippines. Pseudoacanthocephalus smalesi was found infesting Sphenomorphus abdictus on Luzon Island, Philippines.
In 2019, Kvach & de Buron added to the family a new species, Harpagorhynchus golvaneuzeti, which represents a new genus, Harpagorhynchus and a new subfamily, the Harpagorhynchinae. The specific epithet refers to two famous French parasitologists, Yves-Jean Golvan and Louis Euzet.
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