In today's article we are going to talk about Goniasteridae. It is a topic that has aroused great interest in recent years, and Goniasteridae has been the subject of debate and discussion in different areas. From a historical point of view, Goniasteridae has played a crucial role in the evolution of society. Likewise, Goniasteridae has generated conflicting opinions among experts and specialists, who have analyzed its impact in different contexts. In this article, we will take an in-depth look at the meaning and importance of Goniasteridae, as well as its implications today. Do not miss it!
Goniasteridae (the biscuit stars) constitute the largest family of sea stars, included in the order Valvatida. They are mostly deep-dwelling species, but the family also include several colorful shallow tropical species.
Description
Goniasteridae are usually middle-sized sea stars with a characteristic double range of marginal plates bordering the disk and arms. Most of them have five arms, often short and triangular, around a broad central disc; many species are pentagonal or subpentagonal, covered densely with granular, seed-like protuberances, hence the name of the family "seed-star" (gonium+aster). The aboral face is often covered with tiny spines looking like paxillae. Pedicellariae are often valvate, and the gonads are located at the interradius.
Main identification keys for this group include the presence of paxillae, granules, teeth, spines, or the shape and dimensions of marginal plate.
Location and habitat
They occur predominantly on deep-water continental shelf habitats (but a part of them inhabit shallow waters) in all the world's oceans, being the most diverse in the Indo-Pacific region.
List of genera
About 260 extant species within 70 genera are currently known, which make this family the most diverse of all the sea stars, even if half of the genera are monospecific. Species belonging to the Ferdininae subfamily have been imported from Ophidiasteridae thanks to a large revision of these two families in 2017