Liver lipids and fatty acids of the sting ray Dasyatis bleekeri (Blyth)

The sting ray, Dasyatis bleekeri (Blyth), has been studied for lipids and fatty acids of its liver. The neutral lipids identified were hydrocarbons, wax esters, steryl esters, 1‐O‐alkyl‐2,3‐diacylglycerols, triacylglycerols, and sterols. Neutral lipids were predominant (91.8%), major components being triacylglycerols (92.7%). Polyenoic fatty acids of n‐3 series, viz. eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, were high in the phospholipid and neutral lipid fractions. Cholesterol was the major component (67.9%) in the steryl ester fraction. Glyceryl ethers, with chainlengths up to 30 carbons, were recorded with unsaturated, anteiso, iso, and normal chains. In wax ester alcohols, up to 32‐carbon chains were recorded. Hydrocarbons were up to 36‐carbon chains with anteiso, iso, and normal chains. Among branched chain hydrocarbons, pristane was the major component (6.7%) and squalene was present at the level of 3.5%. Chimyl and batyl alcohol backbones were the major components found in 1‐O‐alkyl‐diacylglycerols.