Lesson plan
Asterozoa
The Asterozoa are a subphylum in the phylum Echinodermata, within the Eleutherozoa. Characteristics include a star-shaped body and radially divergent axes of symmetry. The subphylum includes the classes Asteroidea (the starfish or sea stars), Ophiuroidea (the brittle stars and basket stars), Somasteroidea (early asterozoans from which the other classes most likely evolved), and Stenuroidea (early asterozoans with unclear relationships to extant classes). A fifth class, Concentricycloidea, was proposed for the unusual genus Xyloplax (sea daisies), but was later demoted to the status of infraclass as the sister of Neoasteroidea within the asteroidean subclass Ambuloasteroidea.
Article summary
The Asterozoa are a subphylum in the phylum Echinodermata, within the Eleutherozoa. Characteristics include a star-shaped body and radially divergent axes of symmetry. The subphylum includes the classes Asteroidea (the starfish or sea stars), Ophiuroidea (the brittle stars and basket stars), Somasteroidea (early asterozoans from which the other classes most likely evolved), and Stenuroidea (early asterozoans with unclear relationships to extant classes). A fifth class, Concentricycloidea, was proposed for the unusual genus Xyloplax (sea daisies), but was later demoted to the status of infraclass as the sister of Neoasteroidea within the asteroidean subclass Ambuloasteroidea.
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.