Australiformis is a monotypic genus of acan­tho­cephalans (thorny- headed or spiny-headed parasitic worms) that infest marsupials in Australia and New Guinea. The worm's body consists of a long trunk and a proboscis armed with hooks, which it uses to pierce and hold the gut wall of its host. The only species in the genus, Australiformis semoni, resembles species in the genus Moniliformis but lacks spiral muscles in the outer wall of the proboscis receptacle. The proboscis is armed with 12 rows of 13 to 15 hooks which are used to attach themselves to the small or large intestine of the host. The female worms range from 95 to 197 mm long, virtually all of which is the trunk, and 1.75 to 3.5 mm wide. There is pronounced sexual dimorphism in this species as females are around twice the size of the males, whose trunks range from 46 to 80 mm long and are about 2 mm wide. Infestation of marsupials by A. semoni may cause debilitating inflammation of the stomach (gastritis) with granulomatous ulcers.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australiformis

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1943:

World War II: Australian forces launched an assault on Sattelberg, New Guinea, against Japanese forces, initiating the Battle of Sattelberg. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sattelberg

1989:

Walt Disney Pictures released The Little Mermaid to theatres, starting the Disney Renaissance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Mermaid_%281989_film%29

1997:

Sixty-two people were killed by Islamist terrorists outside Deir el-Bahari in Luxor, one of Egypt's top tourist attractions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor_massacre

2013:

An outbreak of 77 confirmed tornadoes occurred in seven U.S. states; it became the largest November tornado outbreak in Illinois and Indiana. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_outbreak_of_November_17,_2013

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

cousin: 1. Chiefly with a qualifying word: any relation (especially a distant one) who is not a direct ancestor or descendant but part of a person's extended family; a kinsman or kinswoman. 2. (specifically) Preceded by an ordinal number, as first, second, third, etc.: a person descended from a common ancestor by the same number of generations as another person. 3. (specifically) When used without a qualifying word: the child of a person's parent's brother (that is, an uncle) or sister (an aunt); a cousin-german, a first cousin. 4. (chiefly in the plural) A person of an ethnicity or nationality regarded as closely related to someone of another ethnicity or nationality. 5. Used as a term of address for someone whom one is close to; also, (preceding a first name, sometimes capitalized as Cousin) a title for such a person. 6. Used by a monarch to address another monarch, or a noble; specifically (Britain) in commissions and writs by the Crown: used in this way to address a viscount or another peer of higher rank. 7. (figurative, also attributive) Something kindred or related to something else; a relative. 8. (obsolete) 9. (cant) A female sexual partner who is not a person's wife; specifically, a prostitute. 10. (cant) A person who is swindled; a dupe. 11. (rare) A person who womanizes; a seducer, a womanizer. 12. (transitive, rare) 13. To address (someone) as "cousin". 14. (also reflexive) To regard (oneself or someone) as a cousin to another person. 15. (intransitive, chiefly US, informal or regional) 16. To associate with someone or something on a close basis. 17. To visit a cousin or other relation. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cousin

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I never thought I could feel this way And I've got to say that I just don't get it. I don't know where we went wrong, But the feeling's gone And I just can't get it back.   --Gordon Lightfoot https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gordon_Lightfoot