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 10.1080/14772019.2021.1960911 1478-0941 10949919 F8991F09-B5FB-40EF-B4CC-474D925085B8 Genus Sphaeraster Quenstedt, 1875 Type species. Although Clark & Wright (1962) designated Sphaerites punctatus Quenstedt, 1875 as type species, this is an objective junior synonym of Asterias tabulatus Goldfuss, 1833 , which is therefore the type species. Following Hess (1975) , the name S. tabulatus has been used for the common Oxfordian–Kimmeridgian species of Sphaeraster . Diagnosis. Large Sphaerasteridae in which the abactinal surface forms a high dome, composed of numerous (450+) abactinal ossicles which are set in rows with an interradial chevron arrangement and taper towards the ambitus; primary circlet approximately one-third of diameter; larger individuals possess a ring of six to seven spines on the primary abactinal ossicles. Figure 5. Morphology of the stauranderasterid outgroup, Stauraster primitivus (von Zittel, 1880) . A–C, arm, in abactinal, lateral and actinal views, respectively ( MZA L246). D–N, isolated ossicles; D–G, I, ossicles from primary circlet; D, E, primary interradial ( NHMUK EE 17624); F, G, centrale ( NHMUK EE 17625); H, ambulacral ossicle, actinal view ( NHMUK EE 17626); I, inner calycinal ossicle ( NHMUK EE 17627); J–L, radials ( NHMUK EE 17628–17630); M, N, adambulacral ossicles, in abactinal and proximal/distal views, respectively ( NHMUK EE 17631–17632). O, reconstruction of apical region of Stauraster . Provenance: A–C, upper Oxfordian of Switzerland . D–N are from the lower Oxfordian, Cardioceras bukowskii ammonite Subzone, basal Couches de Passage, Andelot-Morval, Jura , France (see Gale 2019 , for locality details). Colours as in Figure 1 . Scale bars: A–C = 10 mm ; D–G, I–L = 5 mm ; H, M, N = 0.5 mm. Included species. Sphaeraster tabulatus .