CLADORHIZIDAE Dendy, 1922 Cladorhizeae Dendy, 1922:58

Ekins, Merrick, Erpenbeck, Dirk & Hooper, John N. A., 2020, Carnivorous sponges from the Australian Bathyal and Abyssal zones collected during the RV Investigator 2017 Expedition, Zootaxa 4774 (1), pp. 1-159 : 6

Family CLADORHIZIDAE Dendy, 1922 Cladorhizeae Dendy, 1922:58 Cladorhizidae de Laubenfels, 1936:122 .

Diagnosis. Carnivorous sponges adapted to feeding on small, typically crustacean, prey. Adaptations to carnivory include partial or complete reduction of the aquiferous system, erect habit with radiating processes with either a basal disc or root (rhizoid) processes for anchoring in soft sediment. Axial or abaxial skeleton composed of monactinal or diactinal megascleres, from which extend extra-axial branches. Microscleres include palmate, arcuate and anchorate (an)isochelae and their derivatives, including placochelae and cercichelae; sigmas, forceps or micro(subtylo)styles (microspined, and also spear-shaped in a few cases), and trochirhabds (from Hestetun et al. 2016b).

Type species. Cladorhiza abyssicola Sars, 1872:65 .

Remarks. Nine genera ( Abyssocladia Lévi, 1964 , Asbestopluma Topsent, 1901 , Cercicladia Rios et al., 2011 , Chondrocladia Thomson, 1873 , Cladorhiza Sars, 1872 , Euchelipluma Topsent, 1909 , Koltunicladia Hestetun et al., 2016a , Lollipocladia Vacelet, 2008 , Lycopodina Lundbeck, 1905 ) and five subgenera are currently recognised in the family ( Asbestopluma (Asbestopluma) Topsent, 1901 , Asbestopluma (Helophloeina) Topsent, 1929 , Chondrocladia (Chondrocladia) Thomson, 1873 , Chondrocladia (Meliiderma) Ridley & Dendy, 1887 , Chondrocladia (Symmetrocladia) Lee et al., 2012 ) ( Van Soest et al., 2019).