- 64- 



groups (Bangiacae and Rhodomelaceae) ^-carotene was the principal caro- 

 tene but zeaxanthin was the major xanthophyll. And in a few species of 

 several groups (Ceramiaceae, Gigartinaoeae, Gracilariaoeae, Grateloup- 

 iaceae and Plocamiaceae) Ol-carotene was the principal carotenoid hydro- 

 carbon, lutein the predominant xanthophyll. Chlorophyll d was often 

 absent or present only in traces. Only one plant, Rhodochorton Rothii, 

 (Chantransiaceae) contained as much as 30 per cent of the total chloro- 

 phyll as chlorophyll da 



All the species examined contained r-phycoerythrin, a water-solu- 

 ble, red, proteinaceous pigment that was not extractable with organic 

 solvents. Even deep green species such as young plants of Halosaccion 

 glandiforme were pink after extraction of the fat-soluble pigments with 

 methanol and petroleum ether^» ' '^» 



Pigments of Blue-Green Algae (Cyanophyta) 



Several species of blue-green algae (Appendix IX) yielded the pig- 

 ments indicated in Figure 111,10, These pigments included ohlorphyll 

 a, myxoxanthophyll, zeaxanthin plus or minus lutein, two similar pig- 

 ments with the properties of myxoxanthin, and jS-carotene, The propor- 

 tions of the pigments in these organisms varied significantly with the 

 age of the cultures and with the culture conditions. All the species 

 contained the blue water-soluble c-phycocyanin which was not extracted 

 with methanol and petroleum ether"^' '•^»^<. Spectral absorption curves 

 of the unique xanthophylls are presented in Figure 111,11. 



