Xenovermivore

From Coriapedia, the free encyclopedia

Xenovermivore is a zoological term for 'animals' that eat worm-like archozoans. Archozoans with such a diet are known to be osteovermivorous.

An entire genus of New World drifters has been given the name Xenovermivora.

One osteovermivore that may feed exclusively on worms is Paucidentatus vermivenator, a smonkey species. The name, which can be translated as "few worm-hunting teeth", refers to the fact that they have only four teeth and may live exclusively on a diet of spaceworms. This reduced dentition in osteovermivorous archozoans is said to be due to relaxed selectional pressure on dental occlusion.