How are starfish classified?

Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or"basket stars". read more

Literally starfish are classified as such: Kingdom: Animalia. Phylum: Echinodermata. Class: Asteroidea. Order: Forcipulatida (as an example out of seven Families) In extant (living) starfish, there are 37 Families, 332 genera and 1,781 known species. Valvatida is the largest of Family members with 16 Families, 172 genera and 695 species. read more