Paxillosida

Paxillosida
Luidia magnifica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Subphylum: Eleutherozoa
Class: Asteroidea
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]



References

  1. 1.0 1.1 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