The lipids of some lantern fishes (family Myctophidae).

Abstract 1. 1. Of eight species examined four contained less than 4·3 per cent (fresh wt.) lipid and four at least 14·2 percent. 2. 2. C 30 C 38 wax esters with one and two double bonds were the major lipid in three species with high total lipid; C 36 and C 38 homologs with five and six double bonds were detected in two of these species. 3. 3. The alcohol moieties of the wax esters were largely (74–82%) 1-hexadecanol, and octadecenoic was the predominant (72–76%) fattcy acid. 4. 4. The high was ester content correlates with deeper living and a pattern of daily vertical migration.