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Phylum. Starfish belong to the phylum Echinodermata, which is the largest phylum without any members that live on land or in fresh water. Echinoderms have five-point radial symmetry as adults, but are bilaterally symmetrical as larvae. They have an endoskeleton consisting of calcareous plates that often include spines.upiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images. Although fish and starfish both belong to the kingdom Animalia -- which is the largest division of taxonomic classification -- starfish lack a spine, and therefore belong to a different phylum than true fish.
Starfish are echinoderms (spiny skinned sea urchins). They are also known as sea stars and are not really fish despite the name been given to them. Starfish cannot swim, and they do not use gills to breathe. For more information on these interesting sea urchins, see the fact sheet below. All echinoderms have five-point radial symmetry, which means that their body plan has five sections arranged around a central disk. 2  Starfish are found in the deep blue sea of the ocean and shallow water as well.