) and 32 epibenthos (through a naturalist dredge 40 × 40 cm) were collected that revealed 169 species representing 15 diverse groups. Gastropods, bivalves, polychaetes and decapods constituted the bulk of the population. Polychaetes were by far the most dominant group (64.98%) among the infauna followed by amphipods (25.23%), which were numerically more abundant (mean 1080 ± 292 ind. m ). There was a preponderance of decapods (26%), gastropods (20.7%), bivalves (8.3%) and several (28.3%) largesized polychaetes (e.g. Diopatra neapolitana, Eunice indica, Pista sp.) in the dredge hauls (mean abundance 42 ± 8 ind. haul -1 ). Infaunal diversity (Shannon-Wiener H ') was higher (H ': 2.455 ± 0.18) at 51 to 75 m relative to the sites at >150 m depth (H ': 0.981 ± 0.17). Multivariate analyses were used to define assemblages named after the most important (determining) taxon. Three epifaunal associations could be recognised off the northeast Indian shelf, namely the Charybdis Assemblage (30 to 50 m), the Liagore Assemblage (51 to 75 m), and the Amygdalum watsoni -Tibia delicatula Assemblage (>100 m). Infaunal associations consisted of Ampelisca (30 to 75 m), Nephtys (76 to 100 m) and Cossura coasta (>100 m). Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that depth, sand, sediment organic matter and sediment mean size influenced epifauna distribution, whereas for infauna, salinity, temperature, mean particle diameter, sand and depth proved important.