Paxillosida

Paxillosida
Luidia magnifica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Echinodermata
Class:	Asteroidea
Superorder:	Valvatacea
Order:	Paxillosida Perrier, 1884
Families
See text

The Paxillosida are a large order of sea stars.

Characteristics

Paxillosida adults lack an anus and have no suckers on their tube feet. They do not develop the brachiolaria stage in their early development. ^[1] They possess marginal plates, and have sessile pedicellariae. They mostly inhabit soft-bottomed environments of sand or mud. ^[2]

Systematics

Recent analyses suggest Paxillosida may be a sister taxon of Asterina. ^[1] The order is divided into these families: ^[3]

• family Astropectinidae Gray, 1840
• family Benthopectinidae Verrill, 1899
• family Ctenodiscidae Sladen, 1889
• family Goniopectinidae Verrill, 1889
• family Luidiidae Sladen, 1889
• family Paleobenthopectinidae Blake, 1984 †
• family Porcellanasteridae Sladen, 1883
• family Pseudarchasteridae Sladen, 1889
• family Radiasteridae Fisher, 1916

• 
  Astropecten aranciacus
• 
  Astropecten articulatus
• 
  Astropecten bispinosus

• 
  Astropecten irregularis
• 
  Astropecten jonstoni
• 
  Astropecten platyacanthus
• 
  Luidia ciliaris
• 
  Luidia senegalensis
• 
  Luidia australiae

References

1. Matsubara, M., Komatsu, M., Araki, T., Asakawa, S., Yokobori, S.-I., Watanabe, K. & Wada, H. (2005) The phylogenetic status of Paxillosida (Asteroidea) based on complete mitochondrial DNA sequences. Molecular Genetics and Evolution, 36, 598–605
2. Barnes, Robert D. (1982). Invertebrate Zoology. Philadelphia, PA: Holt-Saunders International. p. 948. ISBN   0-03-056747-5.
3. MarineSpecies.org - Paxillosida Perrier, 1884