Astropectinidae

Astropectinidae
Astropecten aranciacus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Asteroidea
Order: Paxillosida
Family: Astropectinidae
Gray, 1840
Genera

see text.

The Astropectinidae are a family of sea stars in the order Paxillosida. The starfish are usually found living on the seabed, where they are often partially buried in soft sediment such as sand and mud.

They are not to be confused with species in the genus Archaster, which share similar shape and life habits, but belong to the family Archasteridae (order Valvatida) and can be readily identified by their tube feet having suckers instead of lacking them as in the Astropectinidae.

Genera

There are 27 genera in the family:

References

  1. ↑ Carter, Hugh F.; White, Tom S. (2026-10-01). "Illustrated catalogue of the type Asteroidea in the Natural History Museum, London. Part II. Valvatacea: Paxillosida". Systematics and Biodiversity. 24 (2). Taylor & Francis: 2686803. doi:10.1080/14772000.2026.2686803. ISSN 1477-2000.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  2. ↑ Mah, Christopher (2009-07-13). "The Hidden Treasure of Trophodiscus!". Echinoblog. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  3. ↑ Mah, Christopher (2011-03-26). "Telling Apart Sand Stars: Archaster vs. Astropecten - Two Common Trade Species". Echinoblog.