Asterias

Belongs within: Asteriidae.

Asterias is a cosmopolitan genus of sea stars with a large disc and relatively broad arms.

Characters (from Spencer & Wright 1966): Disc fairly large, arms 5 or 6, rather broad and short; aboral skeleton an open network with spines in nearly regular series along midline and margin of arms but elsewhere spaced irregularly.

<==Asterias Linnaeus 1758B02 (see below for synonymy)
    |--*A. rubens Linnaeus 1758SW66 [=Asteracanthion rubensBK77; incl. Asterias violaceaBK77]
    |--A. amurensisMK05
    |--A. forbesiBK77
    |--A. gaveyiSW66
    |--A. linckiBK77
    |--A. luna Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--A. multiradiata Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--A. pectinata Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--A. reticulata Linnaeus 1758L58
    |--A. spinosaR26
    |--A. tenuissimaR26
    |--A. tessulataG20
    |--A. tricolor Risso 1826R26
    |--A. verrucosa Risso 1826R26
    `--A. vulgarisCH97

Asterias Linnaeus 1758^B02 [incl. Allasterias Verrill 1909^SW66, Asteracanthion Müller & Troschel 1840^SW66, Parasterias Verrill 1914^SW66, Stellonia Nardo 1834^SW66, Uraster Agassiz 1835^SW66]

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[BK77] Barel, C. D. N., & P. G. N. Kramers. 1977. A survey of the echinoderm associates of the north-east Atlantic area. Zoologische Verhandelingen 156: 1–159.

[B02] Blake, D. B. 2002. Compsaster formosus Worthen & Miller (Asteroidea; Echinodermata): a Carboniferous homeomorph of the post-Paleozoic Asteriidae. Paläontologische Zeitschrift 76 (2): 357–367.

[CH97] Castro, P., & M. E. Huber. 1997. Marine Biology 2^nd ed. WCB McGraw-Hill: Boston.

[G20] Goldfuss, G. A. 1820. Handbuch der Naturgeschichte vol. 3. Handbuch der Zoologie pt 1. Johann Leonhard Schrag: Nürnberg.

[L58] Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii: Holmiae.

[MK05] Matsubara, M., M. Komatsu, T. Araki, S. Asakawa, S. Yokobori, K. Watanabe & H. Wada. 2005. The phylogenetic status of Paxillosida (Asteroidea) based on complete mitochondrial DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 36: 598–605.

[R26] Risso, A. 1826. Histoire naturelle des principales productions de l’Europe méridionale et particulièrement de celles des environs de Nice et des Alpes maritimes vol. 5. F.-G. Levrault: Paris.

[SW66] Spencer, W. K., & C. W. Wright. 1966. Asterozoans. In: Moore, R. C. (ed.) Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology pt U. Echinodermata 3 vol. 1 pp. U4–U107. The Geological Society of America, Inc., and The University of Kansas Press.