Cercicladia, Rios, Pilar, Kelly, Michelle & Vacelet, Jean, 2011

Rios, Pilar, Kelly, Michelle & Vacelet, Jean, 2011, Cercicladia australis, a new carnivorous sponge with novel chelae from the Tasman Basin and the Argentine Patagonian Margin (Porifera, Cladorhizidae), Zootaxa 3131, pp. 52-62 : 54

Genus Cercicladia gen. nov.

Type species. Cercicladia australis gen. nov. sp. nov., here designated.

Diagnosis. Cladorhizidae with cercichelae, microxeas, and rare toxas, in addition to the usual mycalostyles and sigmancistras. Acanthosubtylostyles may be present. Body feather–shaped (pinnate), with a long, thick fleshy pedicle, and a long flattened blade at the apex. Long fine filaments extend on either side of the blade forming an incurved feather–like structure.

Etymology. Named for the shape of the special microsclere, the cercichela, which resembles a shuttle (cerc, Greek), a tool designed to compactly store weft yarn as it is guided between the vertical warp yarns on the loom in the craft of hand weaving. The suffix – cladia, or branch, is frequently used in the Cladorhizidae (clad, ancient Greek).