Chiridotidae Östergren, 1898

Pawson, David L. & Vance, Doris J., 2004, Chiridota heheva, new species, from Western Atlantic deep­sea cold seeps and anthropogenic habitats (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Apodida), Zootaxa 534, pp. 1-12 : 2

Family Chiridotidae Östergren, 1898

Diagnosis: Synaptina with 10, 12, or 18 peltato­digitate, pinnate, or bifurcate tentacles. Juveniles with bifurcate tentacles. Body wall ossicles wheels of chiridotid type and/or sigmoid hooks. Chiridotid type wheels with 6 spokes, numerous small denticles on inner side of rim and a complex hub; on lower side of each spoke a branch leans against the lower end of the hub forming a “star” structure. Ossicles in tentacles usually rods with branched ends. (From Smirnov, 1998).