Zootaxa 20th Anniversary Celebration: section Acanthocephala

Area of Science:

• Parasitology
• Zoology
• Biodiversity Research

Background:

• Zootaxa is a prominent journal for taxonomic and faunistic research.
• Acanthocephala, or spiny-headed worms, are significant endoparasites with complex life cycles.
• Bibliographic analyses are crucial for understanding research trends and taxonomic output.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a bibliographic analysis of Acanthocephala research published in Zootaxa between 2001 and 2020.
• To document the number of new and redescribed species within this period.
• To summarize the scope and geographical coverage of Acanthocephala checklists.

Main Methods:

• Bibliographic data extraction from 32 Zootaxa publications (2001-2020).
• Analysis of author contributions, country of origin, and publication trends.
• Compilation of data on described species and checklist content.

Main Results:

• 32 papers on Acanthocephala were published, involving 72 authors from 5 countries.
• 5 new species were described, and 1 known species was redescribed.
• 27 checklists covering 11 countries/regions were presented, detailing numerous species.

Conclusions:

• The research highlights significant contributions to Acanthocephala taxonomy and checklist biodiversity during the study period.
• The analysis provides a quantitative overview of research output and geographical focus in Acanthocephala studies.
• This work serves as a valuable reference for researchers in parasitology and invertebrate taxonomy.