CAROTENOIDS OF THE C40 SERIES 591 



Recent investigations have demonstrated the wide distribution of 

 astaxanthin among the fishes. It has been reported in the eggs of the rain- 

 bow trout {Salmo irideus) ,*^^ in the Atlantic salmon {Salmo salar) ,^^^'^^'^ the 

 Pacific sockeye salmon (Onchorhynchus nerka),^'^^ the scythe fish or oarfish 

 (Regalecus (jlesne) ,^^^^^'" and the lump-sucker {Cydopterits lumpus).*^^ The 

 latter species has astaxanthin in the liver oil, and appears to mobilize it in 

 the skin and flesh during the spawning season. Lederer^^-^^^ found this 

 pigment in the red skin, gill, and mouth mucus, iris, and sclera of the gold 

 mackerel or marine dorado {Beryx decadadylus) . The common goldfish 

 {Carassius auratus), some but not all varieties of fresh-water perch {Perca 

 fiuviatilis), and the red Norway haddock {Sebastes marinus) yield asta- 

 xanthin or astacene.^* In the sea-devil fish or angler fish {Lophius pis- 

 catorius), astaxanthin (as an astacene ester) occurs with taraxan thin-like 

 compounds, ^^2 while in the sunfish {Orthagoriscus mola) it is present in 

 association with a-carotene and minute amounts of vitamin A, which may 

 be accounted for by the food ingested/^' Astaxanthin has been found, 

 also, in a number of terrestrial arthropods, including the mite {Trombidium 

 spp.) and probably the Colorado potato beetle, Doryphora (Leptinotarsa) 

 decemlineata.*^* In addition, the pigment has been reported in birds. 

 It has been found in the egg-yolk of the black-headed laughing gull, or 

 peewit {Larus ridihundus) and of the stork {Ciconia ciconia), with only 

 traces of carotene and lutein. '^^ Moreover, an analogous pigment has 

 been shown to be a component of the fat of the carmine flamingo {Phoeni- 

 copterus roseus).*^^ Kuhn et 01.^"" have also demonstrated that astaxanthin 

 is to be found in the retina of the chicken and in the red sclera of the 

 pheasant {Phasianus colchicus) .'^'^'^ 



(3) Echinenone 



Lederer^'*'^^' isolated a new pigment from the ovaries of the Atlantic sea 

 ui'chin {Strongylocentrotus lividus) which proved to be a carotenoid. It was 

 named echinenone from Echinus esculentus,^^^ which was at first erroneously 

 believed to be the species from which it was obtained. 



Echinenone is a monoketone having an empirical formula of C40H54O. 

 Since the compound possesses provitamin A activity, ^^^-^^^ it is as- 



«» M. Hartmann, F. G. Medem, R. Kuhn, and H. J. Bielig, Z. Naturforsch., 2b, 330- 

 349 (1947). 



4 30 B. E. Bailey, /. Biol. Board Can., 3, 469-472 (1937). 



*'• E. Lederer, Les CaroUnoides des Animaux, Hermann, Paris, 1935. 



*32 N. A. S0rensen, Kgl. Norske Videnskab. Selskabs Skrifter, 1934, No. 1, 1-14. 



"3 N. A. S0rensen, Kgl. Norske Videnskab. Selskabs Fork., 6, No. 40, 154-157 (1933). 



"^ C. Manunta, Nature, 162, 298 (1948). 



"« C. Manunta, Helv. Chim. Acta, 22, 1151-1153 (1939). 



"6 E. Lederer and T. ISIoorc, Nature, 137, 996 (1936). 



"^ S. M. Grecnberg and B. T. Sclieer, Unpublished results (1947-1948). 



