Paxillosida | |
---|---|
Luidia magnifica | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Echinodermata |
Subphylum: | Eleutherozoa |
Class: | Asteroidea |
Order: | Paxillosida Perrier, 1884 |
Families | |
See text. |
Paxillosida are a large order of sea stars.
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]
Recent analyses suggest that Paxillosida may be a sister taxon of Asterina[3]. The order is divided into the following families[4]