Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

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Family ASTEROPSEIDAE


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

Members of the six known genera in the family Asteropseidae are found in tropical and warm temperate seas. Three genera and three species are recorded in Australian waters.

This family is distinguished from others within the order Valvatida by the following combination of character states: arms five, body form stellate, ventro-lateral edge distinct; body entirely covered by more or less thickened skin usually obscuring the skeleton at least in large specimens; aboral skeletal plates imbricating or forming reticulum bearing single or numerous spines or with no spines; pedicellariae bivalved, granuliform or elongate tong-shaped; marginal plates well developed; actinal plates in longitudinal series parallel to ambulacra; interbrachial septum reinforced by proximal vertical calcified column.

 

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)