Current status of benthic marine macroinvertebrate identification in the ASEAN countries and its impacts for...

Benthic marine macroinvertebrates are one of the main components of the marine ecosystem. Proper management of these animals is therefore crucial to maintain sustainable ecosystem functions and services. However, information on the diversity of these phyla in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries has been patchy. This study aimed to determine the current status of benthic marine macroinvertebrate identification in the ASEAN countries and its implications for effective marine resource management and conservation. Regional data on identified species and authors were analysed to determine the species diversity, as well as local and foreign taxonomists and ecologists. A total of 18,084 benthic marine macroinvertebrate species from six phyla (i.e., Annelida, Arthropoda, Cnidaria, Echinodermata, Mollusca, and Porifera) were documented. The Philippines has the highest marine benthic macroinvertebrate species recorded (11,685 species), followed by Thailand and Indonesia, while Cambodia has the lowest recorded species. Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand exhibited the highest species similarity. Notably, the number of local taxonomists in the Southeast Asia region was lower than that of their foreign counterparts. Several ASEAN countries, such as Brunei, Cambodia and Myanmar, relied more on either foreign taxonomists or ecologists in identifying their local species, although species identification by the latter workers potentially leads to misidentifications. Possible causes and improvements are discussed.