classically polychaete worms predominate in the macrobenthos followed by crustaceans molluscs and echinoderms gray and elliott the benthic infauna be they depositfeeders from sediments or suspensionfeeders from the water column or those which are capable of both provide an important link to higher trophic levels like the demersal ichthyofauna however studies of benthic macroinfauna of tropical marine sediments are far fewer than their temperate counterparts alongi and as with the paucity of information on sediment characteristics of the region there are very few infaunal studies on shelf sediment habitats in the wio consequently literature on these fauna from the region are limited mackie and others