Earthworm lipids: Occurrence of phytanic, pristanic and 4,8,12‐trimethyltridecanoic acids

Phytanic, pristanic, and 4,8,12‐trimethyltridecanoic acids were found to comprise from 2.7% (winter) to 13.3% (spring) of the fatty acids of the neutral lipids of earthworms collected in different seasons from agricultural pasture land. Only small proportions of these isoprenoid acids were present in the phospholipids and glycolipids. It is postulated that these acids originated by microbial action on phytol and were assimilated in the gut of the earthworms from living and dead microorganisms and other fauna in ingested soil.