ELEMENTS IN TISSUES AND ORGANS OF AN ANTARCTIC FISH, CHAMPSOCEPHALUS-GUNNARI

Elements in the tissues and organs of the Antarctic fish Champsocephal us gunnari were analyzed by PIXE. A comparison was made with a migrato ry fish bluefin tuna, Thunnus thunnus, and morphologically similar fis h, brown barracuda, Sphyraena pinguis. High levels of Mn were found in the gills and liver of bluefin tuna in the range of 4 10 ppm, while i n the Champsocephalus gunnari, Mn was highest in the muscle (70 ppm). Fe was found in the spleen, kidney and liver of the bluefin tuna at le vels of 300, 890 and 680 ppm. In Champsocephalus gunnari, however, lev els in these organs were 40-80 ppm. A particularly higher level of 302 ppm was found in the muscle. Cu was the highest in the gall-bladder o f a bluefin tuna (66 ppm), while it was 13 ppm in the Champsocephalus gunnari but it was 52 ppm in the muscle. Mn, Fe and Cu were paricularl y high in the muscle of the Champsocephalus gunnari. These elements ma y assist in oxygen fixation and transportation through cutaneous respi ration.