Influence Of Growth On Fatty Acid Composition Of The Moon Wrasse Thalassoma Lunare Collected In Coral Reef Habitats Of The Malaysian South China Sea

Abstract

The composition of fatty acids in fishes can serve as trophic biomarkers in the analysis of marine food webs because fatty acids can be traced as essential dietary components to higher trophic levels; however, information on tropical coral fishes is scarce. In order to understand the feeding ecology of coral reef fish, fatty acid composition and levels were examined in the moon wrasse Thalassoma lunare collected in the Malaysian South China Sea. Fatty acid composition was predominantly saturated fatty acids (SAFA) (62.5 %), followed by monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) (33.8 %) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (3.7 %). The most abundant fatty acids in SAFA, MUFA and PUFA were palmitic acid (C16:0), oleic acid (C18:1ω9c) and elaidic acid (C18:1ω9t) and linolenic acid (C18:3n3) and EPA (C20:5n3), respectively. Fatty acid concentrations, especially in SAFA and MUFA, changed with fish growth, although PUFA did not change in fish growth. Such differences might be caused by differences in the diet of the fish accompanying the growth.