Abstract
The lipid class and fatty acid composition of brain and eyes of unpigmented and normally pigmented Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), reared using live food, were analysed. The neural tissues of normally pigmented and unpigmented fish showed a similar lipid class composition. However normally pigmented individuals had a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the polar lipid fraction, specially arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. Considering the importance of docosahexaenoic acid in the composition of neural tissues, as well as eicosapentaenoic, and arachidonic acids in eicosanoid production, a relationship among vision, neural transmission, and pigmentation is suggested.
