Goniasteridae Forbes 1841

Mah, Christopher L., 2018, New genera, species and occurrence records of Goniasteridae (Asteroidea; Echinodermata) from the Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 4539 (1), pp. 1-116 : 6

Goniasteridae Forbes 1841

Comments. As per the molecular revision by Mah and Foltz (2011), the Pseudarchasteridae , such as Pseudarchaster and Paragonaster , were removed to the Paxillosida and are not included herein. Several goniasterid-like genera, including Fromia and Neoferdina which have historically been included within the Ophidiasteridae were also re-classified within the Goniasteridae ( Mah and Foltz 2011) . This is dealt with in more detail by Mah (2017).

Several members of the Oreasteridae have historically been treated as members of the Goniasteridae , including Goniodiscaster , Monachaster and Stellasteropsis ; these genera and Anthenea are all assigned to the Goniasteridae . The traditional oreasterid assignment appears to have been based largely on robust skeletal development, argued here to be unreliable as a synapomorphy. Nectria , for example, shares numerous characters shared with Mediaster and other members of the “ Mediaster ” clade, including Rosaster but has been incorrectly assigned in the Oreasteridae (e.g., Gates and Rowe 1995). These genera are discussed in further detail herein.