Acanthocephala

noun plural

Acan·​tho·​ceph·​a·​la ə-ˌkan(t)-thə-ˈsef-ə-lə 

: a group of elongated parasitic intestinal worms with a hooked proboscis that as adults lack a digestive tract and absorb food through the body wall, and that are usually classified as a separate phylum related to the phylum Platyhelminthes