Hippasteria | |
---|---|
Hippasteria phrygiana | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Echinodermata |
Class: | Asteroidea |
Order: | Valvatida |
Family: | Goniasteridae |
Subfamily: | Hippasterinae |
Genus: | Hippasteria Gray, 1840[1] |
Synonyms | |
Hippasteria (Euhippasteria) Dons, 1938 |
Hippasteria is one of 70 genera of sea stars in the diverse family Goniasteridae.[1]
These sea stars are regular, five-armed starfishes, with a large and flattened central disc. Most of the species in this genus live in deep seas, where they seem to be predators of deep sea coral and cnidarians.[2]
The species Hippasteria phrygiana may be one of the most widely distributed species : it is present in the 3 main oceanic basins.[3]
According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), the genus Hippasteria is composed of the following twelve species:[1]