Asterina pancerii is a very small starfish, seldom exceeding 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter.

The somewhat inflated aboral (upper) surface is covered by a mosaic of tiled plates each bearing a small tuft of three to eight regularly spaced crystalline spines.

The marginal plates are fine, some bearing pedicellariae, and the tips of the arms have long, slender sensory tube feet and inconspicuous eyespots.

Asterina pancerii appears to be a rare species, but this may be because it is seldom noticed because of its small size and unobtrusive behaviour.

They undergo direct development, with no planktonic larval phase, and crawl away from the female when sufficiently large.