MYXASTERIDAE Perrier 1885

Mah, Christopher L., 2023, New Goniasteridae and in situ observations significant to deep-sea coral predation, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 83, pp. 1-35 : 30

MYXASTERIDAE Perrier 1885

Comments. As outlined by broad-based molecular phylogenetic revisions by Mah and Foltz (2011a, b) and Linchangco et al. (2017), members of the Velatida occupy a divergent position within the post-Paleozoic Asteroidea relative to the other major clades, the Forcipulatida and the Valvatacea. This includes the Pterasteridae , Korethrasteridae and the Myxasteridae . The Myxasteridae includes several rarely encountered taxa that occur at great depths (> 1000 m) known from relatively few badly damaged specimens (e.g., Alton, 1966). Observations and collections of myxasterids by submersibles (e.g. Mah, 2020, 2022) have provided new data on feeding and occurrence of these taxa. This in situ observation is the first observation of this group from the Southern Hemisphere.