Abstract
Altogether 87 species of polychaetes belonging to 17 families and 43 genera have been listed from mangrove littoral soil of some Asian countries. Paucity of taxonomic studies on infaunal polychaete worms in vast mangrove areas covering 76, 82,335 hectares in Asia may virtually reflect on the reduction in the diversity and richness of the species so far listed. Members of the family Nereidae and Eunicidae were found to be higher followed by Glyceridae, Spionidae and Capitellidae. India occupies the first position in biodiversity of polychaete fauna followed by Thailand, Malaysia and Japan based on the limited availability of authentic studies.