Nephridiorhynchus Meyer, 1931 Nephridiacanthus is a genus of parasitic worms belonging to the family Oligacanthorhynchidae.

[5][6][a] N. major has been found infesting the long-eared hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus) and the southern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor) in Iran, Germany, Morocco, central Asia, Egypt, Bulgaria, Tajikistan, Lebanon, Sicily, Italy, Nigeria, Turkey and Mongolia.

Phylogenetic analysis has been done on the small subunit ribosomal DNA and cytochrome c genes, and have determined that it belongs to the family Oligacanthorhynchidae.

[3] The life cycle of an acanthocephalan consists of three stages beginning when an infective acanthor (development of an egg) is released from the intestines of the definitive host and then ingested by an arthropod, the intermediate host.

This stage involves penetrating the wall of the mesenteron or the intestine of the intermediate host and growing.