Abstract
The total lipids of eleven species of Myctophids caught at depths between 20 and 700 m in the northern Pacific Ocean were analyzed using silicic acid column chromatography (lipid classes) and capillary gas chromatography (fatty acid and fatty alcohol composition). The major components in the lipid classes were triacylglycerols or wax esters; triacylglycerols were the dominant acyl neutral lipids (68.1–96.1%) in eight species, and wax esters were found as the dominant lipid (85.5–87.9%) in three species. The major fatty acids and alcohols contained in the was esters of the three fishes were 18:1n–9, 20:1n–9, 20:1n–11, and 22:1n–11 for fatty acids, and 16:0, 18:1, 20:1, and 22:1 for fatty alcohols. Fatty acids in the triacylglycerols ranging from C14 to C22 were predominantly of even chain length. The major components were 16:0, 16:1n–7, 18:1n–9, 20:1n–11, 22:1n–11, 20:5n–3 (icosapentaenoic acid), and 22:6n–3 (docosahexaenoic acid). In both the triacylglycerols and the wax esters, the major fatty components were monoenoic acids and alcohols. It is suggested from the lipid chemistry of the Myctophids that they may prey on the same organisms as the certain pelagic fishes such as saury and herring, because the large quantities of monoenoic fatty acids are similar to those of saury, herring, and sprats whose lipids originate from their prey organisms such as zooplanktons which are rich in monoenoic wax esters.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- DHA:
-
docosahexaenoic acid
- EPA:
-
icosapentaenoic acid
- FAME:
-
fatty acid methyl ester
- GLC:
-
gas-liquid chromatography
- NMR:
-
nuclear magnetic resonance
- PUFA:
-
polyunsaturated fatty acids
- RRT:
-
relative retention time
References
Benson, A.A., and Lee, R.F. (1975) The Role of Wax inOceanic Food Chains,Sci. Am. 232, 77–83.
Lee, R.F., and Patton, J.S. (1989) Alcohols and Waxes, inMarine Biogenic Lipids, Fats, and Oils (Ackman, R.G., ed.) Vol. I, pp. 73–102, CRC Press Inc., Boca Raton.
Morris, R.J., and Culkin, F. (1989) Fish, inMarine Biogenic Lipids, Fats, and Oils (Ackman, R.G., ed.) Vol. II, pp. 145–178, CRC Press Inc., Boca Raton.
Nevenzel, J.C., and Menon, N. (1980) Lipids of Midwater Marine Fish: Family Gonostomatidae,Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 65B, 351–355.
Nevenzel, J.C. (1970) Occurrence, Function and Biosynthesis of Wax Esters in Marine Organisms,Lipids 5, 308–318.
Buisson, D.H., Body, D.R., Dougherty, G.J., Eyres, L., and Vlieg, P. (1982) Oil from Deep-Water Fish Species as a Substitute for Sperm Whale and Jojoba Oils,J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 59, 390–395.
Takagi, T., Itabashi, Y., and Aso, S. (1985) Fatty Acids and Fatty Alcohols of Wax Esters in the Orange Roughy: Specific Textures of Minor Polyunsaturated and Branched-Chain Components.Lipids 20, 675–679.
Bakes, M.J., Elliott, N.G., Green, G.J., and Nichols, P.D. (1995) Variation in Lipid Composition of Some Deep-Sea Fish (Teleostei: Oreosomatidae and Trachichthyidae),Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 111B, 633–642.
Tyler, H.R., and Pearcy, W.G. (1975) The Feeding Habits of Three Species of Lantern Fishes (Family Myctophidae) off Oregon, USA,Mar. Biol. 32, 7–11.
Nevenzel, J.C., Rodegker, W., Stephen, J., and Kayama, M. (1969) The Lipids of some lantern Fishes (Family Myctophidae),Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 31, 25–36.
Kayama, M., and Ikeda, Y. (1975) Studies on the Lipids of Micronektonic Fishes Caught in Sagami and Suruga Bays, with Special Reference to Their Wax Esters,J. Jpn. Oil Chem. Soc. 24, 435–440.
Folch, J., Lees, M., and Sloane Stanley, G.H. (1957) A Simple Method for the Isolation and Purification of Total Lipids from Animal Tissues,J. Biol. Chem. 226, 497–509.
Ackman, R.G. (1989) Wcot (capillary) Gas-Liquid Chromatography, inAnalysis of Oils and Fats (Hamilton R.J., and Rossell, J.B., eds.), pp. 137–172, Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, London and New York.
Mori, M., Saito, T., Nakanishi, Y., Miyazawa, K., and Hashimoto, Y. (1966) The Composition and Toxicity of Wax in the Flesh of Castor Oil Fishes,Bull. Jap. Soc. Sci. Fish. 32, 137–145.
Hayashi, K., Takagi, T., Kondo, H., and Futawatari, M. (1978) The Lipids of Marine Animals from Various Habitat Depths—VII. Compositions of Diacyl Glyceryl Ethers in the Flesh Lipids of Two Deep-Sea Teleost Fish,Seriollela sp. andS. puncata, Bull. Jap. Soc. Sci. Fish. 44, 917–923.
Hayashi, K., and Takagi, T. (1980) Occurrence of Unusually High Level of Wax Esters in Deep-Sea Teleost Fish Muscle,Hoplostethus atlaticus, Bull. Jap. Soc. Sci. Fish. 46, 459–463.
Sargent, J.R., Gatten, R.R., and Merrett, N.R. (1983) Lipids ofHoplostethus atlanticus andH. mediterraneus (Beryciformes: Trachichthyidae) from Deep Water to the West of Britain,Mar. Biol. 74, 281–286.
Sargent, J.R., Gatten, R.R., and McIntosh, R. (1977) Wax Esters in the Marine Environment—Their Occurrence, Formation, Transformation and Ultimate Fates,Mar. Chem. 5, 573–584.
Japan Aquatic Oil Association (1989)Fatty Acid Composition of Fish and Shellfish (Japan Aquaic Oil Association ed.), pp. 1–309, Korin Press Inc., Tokyo.
Ota, T., Takagi, T., and Kosaka, S. (1980) Changes in Lipids of Young and Adult SauryCololabis saira (Pisces).Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 3, 11–17.
Pascal J.C., and Ackman, R.G. (1976) Long-Chain Monoethylenic Alcohol and Acid Isomers in Lipids of Copepods and Capelin,Chem. Phys. Lipids 16, 219–223.
Henderson, R.J., Sargent, J.R., and Hopkins, C.C.E. (1984) Changes in the Content and Fatty Acid Composition of Lipid in an Isolated Population of the CapelinMallotus villosus During Sexual Maturation and Spawning,Mar. Biol. 78, 255–263.
Hardy, R., and Mackie, P. (1969) Seasonal Variation in Some of the Lipid Components of Sprats (Sprattus sprattus),J. Sci. Food Agric. 20, 193–198.
Ratnayake, W.N., and Ackman, R.G. (1979) Fatty Alcohols in Capelin, Herring and Mackerel Oils and Muscle Lipids: I. Fatty Alcohol Details Linking Dietary Copepod Fat with Certain Fish Depot Fats,Lipids 14, 795–803.
Ratnayake, W.N., and Ackman, R.G. (1979) Fatty Alcohols in Capelin, Herring and Mackerel Oils and Muscle Lipids: II. A Comparison of Fatty Acids from Wax Esters with Those of Triacylglycerols,Lipids 14, 804–810.
Lee, R.F., Hirota, J., and Barnett, A.M. (1971) Distribution and Importance of Wax Esters in Marine Copepods and Other Zooplankton,Deep-Sea Res. 18, 1147–1165.
Sargent, J.R., and Lee, R.F. (1975) Biosynthesis of Lipids in Zooplankton from Saanich Inlet, British Columbia, Canada,Mar. Biology 31, 15–23.
Graeve, M., and Kattner, G. (1992) Species-Specific Differences in Intact Wax Esters ofCalanus hyperboreus andC. finmarchicus from Fram Strait—Greenland Sea,Mar. Chem. 39, 269–281.
Falk-Petersen, S., Sargent, J.R., and Tande, K.S. (1987) Lipid Composition of Zooplankton in Relation to the Sub-Arctic Food Web,Polar Biol. 8, 115–120.
Paradis, M., and Ackman, R.G. (1976) Localization of a Marine Source of Odd Chain-Length Fatty Acids. I. The AmphipodPontoporeia femorata (Kröyer).Lipids 11, 863–870.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Saito, H., Murata, M. The high content of monoene fatty acids in the lipids of some midwater fishes: Family myctophidae. Lipids 31, 757–763 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02522892
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02522892