Lipids in the daubed shanny (Teleostei: Leptoclinus maculatus) in Svalbard waters

The daubed shanny, Leptoclinus maculatus, is a common fish species in Arctic and North Atlantic waters and has an important role in high-latitude ecosystems as a link between lower trophic levels and many fish, marine mammal and seabird species. Its biology and ecology have, however, remained largely unstudied. The primary aim of this study was to increase the knowledge about the daubed shanny by analysing total lipids, lipid-classes and the fatty acid composition of liver, muscle and female gonads in adults from the high Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. In female gonads, the triacylglycerols and wax esters in addition to cholesterol esters were dominant among the stored lipids. Triacylglycerols dominated in the liver, whereas structural lipids, such as phospholipids and cholesterols, were the most important lipids in muscles. Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine were major phospholipids in all organs studied. The fatty acid spectrum of the investigated organs was characterized by a high amount of monounsaturated fatty acids, particularly in the liver. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly 22:6(n-3) and 20:4(n-6), were prevalent in muscle tissues. The lipid and fatty acid spectra in the organs during this period of life are tightly connected with the activation of the liver metabolism and the storage of lipids in the developed female gonads. Lipid accumulation and distribution in gonads are transferred to optimal development of embryos and larvae in Arctic waters.