Belongs within: Asterozoa.
Contains: Mesopalaeasteridae, Hudsonasteridae, Neopalaeasteridae, Ambuloasteroidea.
The Asteroidea include the starfish or sea-stars, star-shaped free-living echinoderms with relatively broad arms, each of which bears a ventral ambulacral groove containing the tube feet. In basal asteroids (including most Palaeozoic forms), the ambulacral plates are paired with the neighbouring adambulacral plates (as opposed to offset as in Ambuloasteroidea; Blake & Hagdorn 2003). Among the basalmost starfish are the Palasteriscidae, known from the Middle Ordovician and Lower Devonian, with very shallow ambulacral grooves and broad adambulacrals bearing flat spines on a transverse ridge. The Lower Ordovician to Permocarboniferous Urasterellidae possessed rounded arms, non-compressed ambulacrals and disc-shaped adambulacrals (Spencer & Wright 1966).
Synapomorphies (from Blake & Hagdorn 2003): Virgals (rod-like ossicles arranged in series that extend laterally from each ambulacral) absent; ossicle homologous to first virgal more or less differentiated relative to second; proximal terminus ambulacral ossicles protruding into mouth; axillary (enlarged, unpaired interbrachial ossicle aligned with inferomarginal series) present (lost in post-Palaeozoic taxa).
Asteroidea (see below for synonymy)
|--+--Schuchertia Gregory 1899SG93, SW66 [incl. Trentonaster Stürtz 1900SW66; Schuchertiidae]
| | |--*S. stellata (Billings 1858) [=Palasterina stellata]SW66
| | `--S. wenlockiSW66
| `--Palasteriscidae [Palaechinasteridae, Platanasteridae]SW66
| |--Platanaster Spencer 1919BH03, SW66
| | `--*P. ordovicus Spencer 1919SW66
| `--Palasteriscus Stürtz 1886SW66
| `--*P. devonicus Stürtz 1886SW66
`--+--+--+--MesopalaeasteridaeBH03
| | `--HudsonasteridaeBH03
| `--+--NeopalaeasteridaeBH03
| `--AmbuloasteroideaBH03
`--Urasterellidae [Roemerasterinae]BH03
|--Bohemaster Jaekel 1923 (n. d.)SW66
| `--*B. primula Jaekel 1923 (n. d.)SW66
|--Phillipsaster Spencer 1950SW66
| `--*P. coronella (Salter 1857) [=Palaeaster coronella]SW66
|--Ulrichaster Spencer 1950SW66
| `--*U. ulrichi (Schuchert 1915) [=Urasterella ulrichi]SW66
|--Salteraster Stürtz 1893BH03, B02
| |--*S. asperrimus (Salter 1857) [=Palaeaster asperrima]SW66
| `--S. grandisSW66
`--Urasterella M’Coy 1851 (see below for synonymy)SW66
|--*U. ruthveni Forbes 1858SW66
|--U. huxleyi (Billings 1865)SG93
|--U. montana (Sturowsky 1874)SG93
|--U. thraivensisSW66
`--U. verruculosaSW66
Asteroidea incertae sedis:
LathanasterBH03
PalaeasteridaeSW66
|--Australaster Schuchert 1914 [incl. Monaster Gregory 1899 nec Etheridge 1892 nec Schütt 1895 (ICBN)]SW66
| `--*A. giganteus (Etheridge 1892) [=Palaeaster (Monaster) giganteus]SW66
`--Palaeaster Hall 1852SW66
|--*P. niagarensis Hall 1852SW66
|--P. exculptusBH03
`--P. meridionalis Etheridge 1891F71
PromopalaeasteraceaeSW66
|--EoactinidaeSW66
| |--Eoactis Spencer 1914SW66
| | `--*E. simplex Spencer 1914SW66
| `--Yarravaster Spencer 1950SW66
| `--*Y. yarraensis (Withers & Keeble 1934) [=Caractacaster yarraensis]SW66
`--Promopalaeasteridae [Anorthasterinae]SW66
|--Anorthaster Schuchert 1914SW66
| `--*A. miamiensis (Miller 1880) [=Palaeaster miamiensis]SW66
|--Kyraster Lehmann 1957SW66
| `--*K. inermisSW66
`--Promopalaeaster Schuchert 1915B02
|--P. speciosus (Meek 1872) (see below for synonymy)SW66
|--P. bellulusSW66
|--P. elizaeSW66
`--P. magnificusB00
Fandasterias Blake 1995 [Fandasteridae]BE03
`--*F. facetus Blake 1995BE03
Xenasteridae [Palaeogoniasteridae, Palaeostellidae]SW66
|--Xenaster Simonovitsch 1871BH04 [incl. Archaeasterias Müller 1855SW66, Archasterias Simonowitsch 1871SW66]
| `--*X. margaritatus Simonovitsch 1871SW66
|--Palaeostella Stürtz 1890 [incl. Eifelaster Schöndorf 1909, Palaenectria Stürtz 1893]SW66
| `--*P. solida Stürtz 1890SW66
|--Agalmaster Schöndorf 1909SW66
| `--*A. miellensis Schöndorf 1909SW66
|--Rhenaster Schöndorf 1909SW66
| `--R. schwerdi Schöndorf 1909BH04
`--Trimeraster Schöndorf 1909SW66
`--*T. parvulus Schöndorf 1909SW66
Plediaster inceptusB00
EriasterEL11
‘Pentaceros’ Schroeter 1782 (nom. inv.) nec Cuvier & Valenciennes 1829 nec Gray 1840S64
Cnemidactis Spencer 1918 [Cnemidactinidae]SW66
`--*C. girvanensis (Schuchert 1914)SW66, SG93 [=Urasterella girvanensisSW66]
Eostella Lehmann 1957 (n. d.)SW66
`--*E. hunsrueckiana Lehmann 1957 (n. d.)SW66
Hunsrueckaster Lehmann 1957 (n. d.)SW66
`--*H. peregrinus Lehmann 1957 (n. d.)SW66
Coelaster Agassiz 1836 (n. d.)SW66
`--*C. couloni Agassiz 1836 (n. d.)SW66
Cribellites Tate 1864 (n. d.)SW66
`--*C. carbonarius Tate 1864 (n. d.)SW66
Cupulaster Fritsch 1893 (n. d.)SW66
`--*C. pauper Fritsch 1893 (n. d.)SW66
‘Palmasterias’ Savi & Meneghini 1851 (n. d.) non Blainville in Gervais 1842SW66
Rumanaster Popescu-Voitesti 1911 (n. d.)SW66
`--*R. uhligi Popescu-Voitesti 1911 (n. d.)SW66
Pleiadeaster Blake & Glass in Webster, Hafley et al. 1999WH99
`--*P. inceptus Blake & Glass in Webster, Hafley et al. 1999WH99Asteroidea [Asteridea, Asteriodea, Asterioidea, Asteromorpha, Astroides, Cirrhigrada, Palaeasteraceae, Phanerozonida, Platyasterida, Pustulosa, Pustulosida, Pustulosina, Uractinina, Urasterina]
Promopalaeaster speciosus (Meek 1872) [=Palaeaster speciosus; incl. Pa. granulosus Meek 1872 non Hall 1868, *Promopalaeaster granulosus]SW66
Urasterella M’Coy 1851 [incl. Palasteracanthion Stürtz 1886, Proterasteracanthion Stürtz 1886, Roemeraster Stürtz 1886]SW66
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[B00] Blake, D. B. 2000. The class Asteroidea (Echinodermata): fossils and the base of the crown group. American Zoologist 40: 316–325.
[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.
[BE03] Blake, D. B., & D. R. Elliott. 2003. Ossicular homologies, systematics, and phylogenetic implications of certain North American Carboniferous asteroids (Echinodermata). Journal of Paleontology 77 (3): 476–489.
[BH03] Blake, D. B., & H. Hagdorn. 2003. The Asteroidea (Echniodermata) of the Muschelkalk (Middle Triassic of Germany). Paläontologische Zeitschrift 77 (1): 23–58.
[BH04] Blake, D. B., & F. H. C. Hotchkiss. 2004. Recognition of the asteroid (Echinodermata) crown group: implications of the ventral skeleton. Journal of Paleontology 78: 359–370.
[EL11] Erwin, D. H., M. Laflamme, S. M. Tweedt, E. A. Sperling, D. Pisani & K. J. Peterson. 2011. The Cambrian conundrum: early divergence and later ecological success in the early history of animals. Science 334: 1091–1097.
[F71] Fletcher, H. O. 1971. Catalogue of type specimens of fossils in the Australian Museum, Sydney. Australian Museum Memoir 13: 1–167.
[SG93] Simms, M. J., A. S. Gale, P. Gilliland, E. P. F. Rose & G. D. Sevastopulo. 1993. Echinodermata. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 491–528. Chapman & Hall: London.
[S64] Smith, J. L. B. 1964. Fishes of the family Pentacerotidae. Ichthyological Bulletin 29: 567–578.
[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.
[WH99] Webster, G. D., D. J. Hafley, D. B. Blake & A. Glass. 1999. Crinoids and stelleroids (Echinodermata) from the Broken Rib Member, Dyer Formation (late Devonian, Famennian) of the White River Plateau, Colorado. Journal of Paleontology 73: 461–486.