Lipids of the Living Coelacanth, <i>Latimeria chalumnae</i>

Abstract

The muscle of Latimeria chalumnae contains 30 to 71 percent (dry weight) of lipid deposited extracellularly. Wax esters constituted 90 percent or more of the lipids from muscle and fat storage tissues. These esters, by gaschromatographic analysis, consisted of C(30) to C(40) homologs with one or two double bonds.