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This study examined free-living marine nematode assemblages of the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) continental shelf and their relationship to sediment characteristics. Sediment cores were collected in Fall 2012 and analyzed for trace metals, organic carbon, granulometry, and nematode genera. This study reports 100 genera of nematodes from 26 families, including 18 genera previously unreported in the GOM. A listing of the nematode diversity provides a bio inventory of nematodes on the GOM shelf. Cluster analysis, non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) and principal component analysis revealed a distinction between eastern and western samples based on sediment characteristics as well as nematode assemblages. Spearman correlations revealed a significant correlation between sediment characteristics and nMDS coordinates, also suggesting that nematode assemblages have an east/west distinction that is reflective of their habitat. This study adds information on the biodiversity of marine nematodes, an abundant and diverse taxon from an area that is subject to anthropogenic disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]