Marine sterols-VII. The sterol compositions of oceanic and coastal marine annelida species

Abstract

1. 1. The sterol compositions of two oceanic and three inter-tidal zone species of annelid have been analysed by combined GC-MS techniques and the results compared with previous analyses. 2. 2. It was found that the oceanic annelids had more complex sterol profiles in which small quantities of 5α-stanols were present, whereas in the simpler profiles of the intertidal zone species, 5α-stanols were normally absent. 3. 5. It was also found that lugworm species from South Africa and South Wales contained substantially identical sterol compositions. © 1978.