Taxonomy and phylogeny of the ‘ football stars’ (Asteroidea, Sphaerasteridae) Author Gale, Andrew Scott School of the Environment, Geography and Geological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Burnaby Building, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth PO 1 3 QL UK; & Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW 7 5 BD, UK text Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 2021 2021-10-01 19 10 691 741 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2021.1960911 journal article 293303 10.1080/14772019.2021.1960911 53749253-12aa-41cc-9eec-e28c0b075738 1478-0941 10949919 F8991F09-B5FB-40EF-B4CC-474D925085B8 Valettaster stipes Villier, 2010 2010 Valettaster stipes Villier : 714, fig. 7, pl. 1p–r. Diagnosis. Primary abactinal ossicles low, with irregular digitate outline. External surface flat, lacking ornament. Types. The holotype is an abactinal ossicle, MPUP VILL026. Paratypes , MPUP VILL027-029, VILL049-051. Occurrence. All are from the Barremian of Serre de Blayton, near Arnayon, France . Remarks. Valettaster stipes resembles V. digitatus in the flattened form of the abactinal ossicles and the digitate margin, but differs in the smooth external surface, which in V. digitatus carries fine, closely spaced crater-like spine pits ( Fig. 22A–D, G, J ).