Paxillosida

The Paxillosida are a large order of sea stars.

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

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