Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

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Family ASTERIIDAE


Compiler and date details

July 2012 - Tim O’Hara, Museum Victoria

F.W.E. Rowe & J. Gates, Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (1995) Updated (2001) by Tim O'Hara, Museum Victoria, Carlton, Victoria, Australia

Introduction

The Asteriidae are a large cosmopolitan family of 59 genera. Eleven genera and 18 species are recorded in Australian waters.

Asteriids are distinguished from other families within the order Forcipulatida by the following combination of character states: arms five or more; disc not sharply delimited from arms; form fissiparous or non-fissiparous; abactinal skeleton reticulate, occasionally in longitudinal series; carinal and marginal plates usually distinct; plates bearing spines; pedicellariae various, including straight and crossed; tube feet in 2–4 longitudinal series.

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
15-Sep-2023 04-Dec-2012 MODIFIED
12-Feb-2010 (import)