Familia Asteriidae

Gray, 1840

Description
Starfish of the Order Forcipulata in which the body wall is strengthened by a reticulate pattern of ossicles and armed with longitudinal rows of single spines. There are usually both crossed and straight pedicellariae present.

In the North sea three species of this family are present:
- Asterias rubens
- Leptasterias muelleri
- Marthasterias glacialis

Remark
The genus Stichastrella Verrill, 1914 is placed in the family Stichasteridae.

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