Asterinidae Gray, 1840

O’Loughlin, P. Mark, 2015, New asterinid seastars from northwest Australia, with a revised key to Aquilonastra species (Echinodermata: Asteroidea), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 73, pp. 27-40 : 30

Asterinidae Gray, 1840

Synonymy. See Clark and Downey, 1992.

Diagnosis. See Clark and Downey, 1992.

Remarks. For a recent revision of Asterinidae see O’ Loughlin & Waters (2004). For the addition of a new genus Ailsastra see O’ Loughlin & Rowe (2005).

Aquilonastra O’ Loughlin, 2004 (in O’Loughlin & Waters, 2004)

Aquilonastra O’ Loughlin, in O’Loughlin & Waters, 2004: 5 (key), 13–15, tables 1, 2.—O’ Loughlin & Rowe, 2005: 181.— Saba & Fujita, 2006:270.— Byrne,2006:244,245,248,250, 251.—O’Loughlin & Rowe, 2006: 257–287.— O’Loughlin, 2009: 204, fig.1.— O’Loughlin & Mackenzie, 2013: 177–180, figs 1, 2.

Diagnosis (from O’Loughlin & Mackenzie 2013). Rays 5, or 5–8 in fissiparous species; inter-radial margin deeply incurved, form stellate; rays discrete, broad at base, tapering, rounded distally; flat actinally, convex abactinally; abactinal plates in longitudinal series, not perpendicular to margin; papulate areas extensive; papulae predominantly single, large, in longitudinal series along sides of rays; abactinal plates with glassy convexities; abactinal spinelets and actinal spines predominantly fine, glassy, conical or sacciform or splay-pointed sacciform, in bands or tufts, numerous (10–40 per plate); actinal plates in longitudinal, sometimes oblique, series; superambulacral plates present for all of ray, sometimes for part of ray or absent in pedomorphic species; superactinal plates present.

Remarks. We have deleted the word “high” in relation to convex from the diagnosis in O’Loughlin & Mackenzie (2013) since “high” lacks clear meaning, and have replaced “not oblique” in relation to actinal plate arrangement with “sometimes oblique” to accord with our observations in this work.