Brisingida
Deep-sea starfish with long arms for suspension feeding.
The order Brisingida groups together starfish that live in the deep sea. They have between 6 and 16 long, attenuated arms, which they use to feed by catching particles suspended in the water. Their bodies feature a single row of marginal plates, a fused ring of plates around the disc, and no actinal plates. The ambulacral column is shaped like a spool, the abactinal plates are reduced, and they have crossed pedicellariae. The arms are flexible and spiny, numbering 7 to 20, and the overall arm span is about 40 times the radius of the central disc. These starfish are found in several deep-sea regions, especially around the Caribbean and New Zealand. In the eastern Pacific Ocean, they occur at depths between 1,820 and 2,418 meters. The order Brisingida contains two families and 18 genera. The family Brisingidae includes the genera *Astrolirus*, *Astrostephane*, *Brisinga*, *Brisingaster*, *Brisingella*, *Brisingenes*, *Hymenodiscus*, *Midgardia*, *Novodinia*, *Odinella*, and *Stegnobrisinga*. The family Freyellidae includes *Astrocles*, *Belgicella*, *Colpaster*, *Freyastera*, *Freyella*, and *Freyellaster*.
Quick Facts
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- Brisingida
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Brisingids are starfish in the order Brisingida. They have between 6 and 16 long, attenuated arms which they use for suspension feeding. 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. They are 40 times the size of disk radius and have 7–20 flexible spiny arms. Brisingida occur in a number of deep-sea locations, particularly in the Caribbean and New Zealand. This type of species are found of varying size especially in the eastern Pacific Ocean at a depth of 1,820–2,418 m. The Brisingida contain two families, with 18 genera: Family Brisingidae (including genera such as Astrolirus, Astrostephane, Brisinga, Brisingaster, Brisingella, Brisingenes, Hymenodiscus, Midgardia, Novodinia, Odinella, and Stegnobrisinga) and Family Freyellidae (including genera Astrocles, Belgicella, Colpaster, Freyastera, Freyella, and Freyellaster).
Reader's Guide
The Brisingida are a deep-sea order of starfish distinguished by their long, attenuated arms and suspension-feeding lifestyle. Their significance lies in their specialized morphology: a single series of marginals, fused ring of disc plates, lack of actinal plates, spool-like ambulacral column, reduced abactinal plates, and crossed pedicellariae. They are found in deep-sea locations, particularly the Caribbean and New Zealand, with one population noted in the eastern Pacific Ocean at depths of 1,820–2,418 m. The order comprises two families (Brisingidae and Freyellidae) and 18 genera, including Brisinga with 20 species and Freyella with 31 species. Their legacy is documented in taxonomic works such as those by Fisher (1917) and Downey (1986), which established many genera and the family Freyellidae. The Brisingida represent a distinct lineage of deep-sea starfish adapted to a pelagic or benthic suspension-feeding niche, with their long arms and flexible spines enabling capture of food particles in the deep ocean.
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