Natural infection of Pachysentis canicola [Acanthocephala: oligacanthorhynchida] in fox from Persian Gulf coastal area in Iran

ABSTRACT

Pachysentis canicola [Meyer, 1931] is an acanthocephalan belonging to the class Oligacanthorhynchida. These species parasitize canids and other carnivores as definitive hosts which are followed by ingestion of an infected arthropod as its biological intermediate host. We present here a natural occurrence of P. canicola in fox from Iran with special attention to its morphological characteristics