Abstract
Carotenoid pigments from the skin and fin of gobies and five related species of typical brackish estuarine water fishes were investigated.
Their principal carotenoid pigments included both tunaxanthin and lutein, known to be characteristic of seawater fishes and freshwater fishes respectively. The possibility that these pigment patterns reflect the nature of the environment was considered. Relatively high concentrations of zeaxanthin were also found.
In addition to these three major pigments, β-carotene, cryptoxanthin, astacene, and α-doradecin were present in small amounts.
