Family ASTERINIDAE

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Introduction

The Asterinidae are a cosmopolitan family of 18 genera. Eight genera and 37 species are recorded in the Australian fauna.

Asterinids are distinguished from other families in the order Valvatida by the following combination of character states: arms five (sometimes more); body form stellate (sometimes with finger-like rays) to pentagonal, fissiparous or non-fissiparous; minute marginals normally present; aboral skeleton composed of imbricated plates bearing grouped or single spinelets which may be granuliform; and actinal intermediate plates in regular transverse or longitudinal series.

General References

Blake, D.B. 1987. A classification and phylogeny of post-Palaeozoic sea-stars (Asteroidea: Echinodermata). Journal of Natural History 21: 481-528

Clark, A.M. 1983. Notes on Atlantic and other Asteroidea. 3. The families Ganeriidae and Asterinidae, with a description of a new asterinid genus. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Zoology 45(7): 359-380

Spencer, W.K. & Wright, C.W. 1966. Asterozoans. pp. U4-U107 figs 1-89 in Moore, R.C. (ed.). Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. Part U. Echinodermata. 3. Asterozoa-Echinozoa. Kansas : Geological Society of America and University of Kansas Press Vol. 1.

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