Mangroves and marine oligochaete diversity

Oligochaete worms often constitute an important component of the infaunaof sediments associated with marine and brackish-water mangroves. Thispaper reviews the present taxonomic and distributional information of thiscomponent, as well as its possible ecological functions. To date, 56 speciesof marine Oligochaeta have been recorded from mangroves, but probablythis is merely a fraction of the actual number occurring in these habitatsworldwide. Most of the taxa belong to the family Tubificidae, but severalspecies of Enchytraeidae are known from near the back of mangroves.Taxonomic expertise should join forces with ecologists to establish the roleof these worms in the mangrove ecosystems.