Polychaetes are mostly marine segmented worms, some of which are known as sandworms or lugworms. The Polychaete Collection includes some 12 000 registered lots, all preserved in 70% ethanol, except for a few recently collected specimens fixed and preserved in 95% ethanol for molecular biology studies.
The collection is of national and international significance, being the most extensive collection in existence of polychaete worms from southern Australia. Shallow water, inshore bays and continental shelf habitats have been well sampled. Significant taxonomic revisions of the families Nereididae, Phyllodocidae, Spionidae and Terebellidae are based on these important collections.
Many Australian regions are represented, but especially bays and the continental shelf of south eastern Australia. Material resulting from major environmental surveys, for example, documenting the environmental health and history of Port Phillip Bay, is highly significant.
The collection is notable for its diversity and the large numbers of species that are unsorted and undescribed. Much of the collection, particularly that recently taken, is sorted only to major taxon and many new species and other systematic discoveries undoubtedly await.