Fatty acid composition of three species of Siphonaria (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) in Pakistan

Fatty acid composition was determined in three pulmonate gastropod species,siphonaria ashgar,s. belcheri and s. kurracheensis inhabiting the high,mid and low tidal zones on the coast of mubarak village,karachi,pakistan. eleven fatty acids were abundant in all three species,that is,palmitic acid,stearic acid,palmitoleic acid,oleic acid,vaccenic acid,gadoleic acid,linoleic acid,arachidonic acid,docosatetraenoic acid,α-linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid. the analysis revealed no significant qualitative differences in the fatty acid profile of three siphonaria species,however the difference in quantities of different fatty acids in tissue of s. ashgar,s. belcheri and s. kurracheensis may be related to their distribution in different tidal zones and thus availability of different microalgal diets. the presence of excellent quantity of polyunstaurated fatty acid,that is,linoleic acid,α-linolenic acid,arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in three species of siphonaria can be utilized as potential fishery resource for nutrition,particularly in developing countries. copyright © 2014 zoological society of pakistan.