The genus name Appendicularia was originally coined by Chamisso and Eysenhardt in 1821, naming the first discovered larvacean Appendicularia flagellum.

However, the lack of an accurate description made it a nomen nudum, leading to it being reused by Hermann Fol for the species Appendicularia sicula.

[2] Appendicularia is relatively small in comparison to other larvaceans, with an adult body length of around 0.4 mm and a tail length of around 1.1 mm in A. sicula.

The first description of Appendicularia sicula was made from specimens found near Messina, Italy.

[2] Since then, it has also been found in low-depth waters near the coasts of the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Hokkaido.