Halpern, 1970 a: 2; McKnight, 1973: 180; Downey in Clark & Downey, 1992: 258; McKnight, 2001: 102 (key).
Diagnosis. Body pentagonal in most species, weakly stellate in some. Abactinal plates weakly tabulate. Abactinal surface densely covered by coarse, hemispherical granules obscuring plate boundaries.
Comments. Pillsburiaster was initially described from the tropical Atlantic but the majority of species occur in the South Pacific/Indo-Pacific region.