Circeasterinae, Mah, 2023

Mah, Christopher L., 2023, New Goniasteridae and in situ observations significant to deep-sea coral predation, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 83, pp. 1-35 : 3

Circeasterinae nov. subfamily

Diagnosis. Body strongly stellate (R/r=3.0–4.0), arms elongate, slender to broad based. Abactinal plates variably flat to weakly convex, covered by large, coarse granules. Abactinal plate surfaces mostly smooth but with large granules, scattered to absent. Distinctly coarse granules mark periphery. Arm plates in Circeaster and Arthaster 2–3 times the size of those on the disk but more consistent in size in Lydiaster and Armaster . Marginal plates blocky, wide, forming prominent border variably bare or with pronounced large conical spine and/or spinelets; granules on plate surfaces, scattered. Actinal surface covered by spinelets or granules. Adambulacral spination with enlarged, thickened subambulacral spine(s), alveolar pedicellariae with variable morphology but valves weakly concave to flat with teeth or prongs. Furrow spines number 6–20, mostly 7–15.