No representatives of this family have hitherto been recorded from New Zealand waters. The familial characters include alternation in the position of the superomarginal and inferomarginal plates, and the restriction of the papulae to definite areas ("papularia") at or near the bases of the arms. The tube feet have a small sucking disc. As the name suggests, the family is essentially a deep water group. The genera occurring in New Zealand waters may be distinguished as follows:

An unpaired interradial marginal plate present	Benthopecten
No unpaired interradial marginal plate	Cheiraster