Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

Museums

Regional Maps

Family PTERASTERIDAE


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 family Pterasteridae is cosmopolitan. It includes nine known genera, two of which are recorded, one with one species, the other with two, in Australian waters. A third genus, Diplopteraster, is represented in Australia by an undescribed species, several specimens of which have been collected from off New South Wales (Rowe, F.W.E., unpublished data).

Pterasterids are distinguished within the order Velatida by the following combination of character states: arms five, body form stellate to pentagonal; cruciform or lobed aboral plates bearing groups of spinelets which support membrane, distinct from aboral surface, forming cavity for young which escape by central valved aperture, (osculum); lateral spines on adambulacrals either supporting actinal web or merging in actinal surface; actinal intermediate plates absent.

 

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)