Brisingida

These starfish have between 6 and 16 long, attenuated arms which they use for suspension feeding.^[3] Other characteristics include a single series of marginals, a fused ring of disc plates, the lack of actinal plates, a spool-like ambulacral column, reduced abactinal plates, and crossed pedicellariae.^[4] They are 40 times the size of disk radius and have 7–20 flexible spiny arms.^[5]

Brisingida occur in a number of deep-sea locations, particularly in the Caribbean and New Zealand.^[6]

This type of species are found of varying size especially in the eastern Pacific Ocean at a depth of 1,820–2,418 m.^[5]

The Brisingida contain two families, with 18 genera:^[2]

• Family Brisingidae, G.O. Sars, 1875^[7]
  • Genus Astrolirus, Fisher, 1917 — (two species)
  • Genus Astrostephane, Fisher, 1917 — (two species)
  • Genus Brisinga Asbjørnsen, 1856 (synonym: Craterobrisinga, Fisher, 1916) — (20 species)
  • Genus Brisingaster Loriol, 1883 — (monotypic)
  • Genus Brisingella Fisher, 1917 — (monotypic)
  • Genus Brisingenes Fisher, 1917 — (four species)
  • Genus Hymenodiscus Perrier, 1884 — (16 species)
  • Genus Midgardia Downey, 1972 — (monotypic)
  • Genus Novodinia Dartnall, Pawson, Pope & B.J. Smith, 1969 (synonym: Odinia, Perrier, 1885) — (13 species)
  • Genus Odinella Fisher, 1940 — (monotypic)
  • Genus Stegnobrisinga Fisher, 1916 — (three species)
• Family Freyellidae, Downey, 1986^[8][9]
  • Genus Astrocles Fisher, 1917 — (three species)
  • Genus Belgicella Ludwig, 1903 — (monotypic)
  • Genus Colpaster Sladen, 1889 — (two species)
  • Genus Freyastera Downey, 1986 — (six species)
  • Genus Freyella Perrier, 1885 (synonym: Freyellidea, Fisher, 1917) — (31 species)
  • Genus Freyellaster Fisher 1918 — (five species)

• Hansson, H.G. (2001). Echinodermata, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 336–351 (look up in IMIS) [details]
• Clark, A.M. and M.E. Downey. (1992). Starfishes of the Atlantic. Chapman & Hall Identification Guides, 3. Chapman & Hall: London, UK. ISBN 0-412-43280-3. xxvi, 794 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details]
• Downey. M.E. (1986). Revision of the Atlantic Brisingida (Echinodermata: Asteroidea), with description of a new genus and family. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No.435. 57pp. [details]
• Fisher, W.K. (1917). New genera and species of Brisingidae. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 20(8): 418–431. [details]
• Sladen, W.P. (1889). Report on the Asteroidea. Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873–1876, Zoology 30(51): xlii + 893 pages 118 plates. [details]
• Clark, A.M.and Mah, C. (2001). An index of names of recent Asteroidea, part 4. Forcipulatida and Brisingida, in: Jangoux, M.; Lawrence, J.M. (Ed.) (2001). Echinoderm Studies, 6: pp. 229–347 (look up in IMIS) [details]