PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE SPECIES OF MARPHYSA (ANNELIDA: POLYCHAETA: EUNICIDAE) WITH POTENTIAL ECONOMIC INTEREST

Annelid polychaetes from several families are commercially exploited as fishing bait or food supplements for crustacean and finfish brood stock. Due to their large adult sizes and ease of collection, these commercially valuable polychaetes are traded internationally. Despite the growing knowledge of polychaetes as marine resources, some species remain unexploited, including those belonging to Marphysa (Annelida: Polychaeta: Eunicidae), with only 16% of species recorded as commercially exploited. Accordingly, a thorough analysis of more than 90 papers revealed 10 more species of Marphysa potentially fulfilling these criteria required to be suitable for commercial exploitation.