''Euplectella cucumer'' is a species of

glass sponge Hexactinellid sponges are sponges with a skeleton made of four- and/or six-pointed silica, siliceous spicule (sponge), spicules, often referred to as glass sponges. They are usually biological classification, classified along with other sponges i ...

in the family

Euplectellidae Euplectellidae is a family of glass sponges (Hexactinellids) belonging to the order Lyssacinosa Lyssacinosida (also spelled Lyssacinosa) is an order of glass sponges (Hexactinellida) belonging to the subclass Hexasterophora. These sponges can ...

.de Voogd, N.J.; Alvarez, B.; Boury-Esnault, N.; Carballo, J.L.; Cárdenas, P.; Díaz, M.-C.; Dohrmann, M.; Downey, R.; Goodwin, C.; Hajdu, E.; Hooper, J.N.A.; Kelly, M.; Klautau, M.; Lim, S.C.; Manconi, R.; Morrow, C.; Pinheiro, U.; Pisera, A.B.; Ríos, P.; Rützler, K.; Schönberg, C.; Vacelet, J.; van Soest, R.W.M.; Xavier, J. (2023). World Porifera Database. ''Euplectella cucumer'' Owen, 1857. Accessed throug
WoRMS on 2023-06-05.
/ref> It has been found around the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

Etymology

The generic name, ''Euplectella'', is derived from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, meaning "to weave", and the prefix ''eu-'', in reference to the "complexity of the interweaving of its component threads".Owen, R. (1857). Description of a new Species of ''Euplectella'' (''Euplectella cucumer'', O.). ''Transactions of the Linnean Society of London''. 22(2): 117-123, pl. XXI. Accessed vi
Biodiversity Heritage Library
2023-06-05. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

, ''cucumer'', is derived from the Latin , meaning "cucumber", due to the fact that the shape of the species' body resembles a cucumber.

References

Hexactinellida Sponges described in 1857 Taxa named by Richard Owen {{Poriferan-stub