| Pterasteridae Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Pteraster capensis | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Asteroidea |
| Order: | Velatida |
| Family: | Pterasteridae Perrier, 1875 |
| Genera1 | |
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See text | |
Pterasteridae is a family of sea stars in the order Velatida, consisting of eight genera.
Description and characteristics
Pterasterids are primarily deep-water, and have an inflated aboral surface. Like many other members of the ordo Velatida, they have a hole in the middle of the central disc called "osculum", from which they can expel mucus for defending against predators.2
Many species brood their young in an internal chamber flushed with seawater.
Fossil pterasterids have been found as early as the upper Campanian of the Cretaceous period.3
Genera
According to the World Register of Marine Species :
- Amembranaster Golotsvan, 1998 -- 1 species
- Benthaster Sladen, 1882 -- 3 species
- Calyptraster Sladen, 1882 -- 5 species
- Diplopteraster Verrill, 1880 -- 7 species
- Euretaster Fisher, 1940 -- 3 species
- Hymenaster Thomson, 1873 -- 51 species
- Hymenasterides Fisher, 1911 -- 2 species
- Pteraster Müller & Troschel, 1842 -- 46 species
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-
Hymenaster echinulatus (both faces) -
Hymenaster sp. -
Pteraster stellifer (both faces) -
Pteraster sp.
References
References
- Mah, C.L. "Pterasteridae Perrier, 1875". World Asteroidea Database. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- Mah, Christopher L. (13 September 2010). "Pteraster & kin- Starfish that fight back with mucus!". Echinoblog.
- Villier, Loïc; Blake, Daniel B.; Jagt, John W. M.; Kutscher, Manfred (2004). "A preliminary phylogeny of the Pterasteridae (Echinodermata, Asteroidea) and the first fossil record: Late Cretaceous of Germany and Belgium". Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 78 (2): 281–299. Bibcode:2004PalZ...78..281V. doi:10.1007/BF03009226. S2CID 140174051.
External links
External links
- Data related to Pterasteridae at Wikispecies
- Media related to Pterasteridae at Wikimedia Commons