Lipid composition of eggs of an oviparous lizard (Bassiana duperreyi)

Lipid analysis was performed on freshly ovulated eggs (n = 5) of the ovipar ous lizard Bassiana duperreyi. The fresh weight of the whole egg contents w as 132.0 +/- 4.3 mg (mean +/- SE) of which lipid constituted 21.9 +/- 1.1% (w/w). Triacylglycerol formed an exceptionally high proportion (85.4 +/- 0. 5%, w/w) of the total-lipid, whereas phospholipid, free cholesterol, choles teryl ester, and free fatty acid, respectively, contributed 11.2 +/- 0.3, 1 .4 +/- 0.1, 1.3 +/- 0.1, and 0.6 +/- 0.1% of the total lipid mass. Linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids were the major polyunsaturates of the triacylgly cerol fraction, respectively, forming 16.3 +/- 0.1 and 8.3 +/- 0.1% (w/w) o f the fatty acids. Linoleic acid was the major fatty acid (29.0 +/- 0.1%) o f the total phospholipid, which also contained substantial amounts of arach idonic (6.4 +/- 0.1%) and eicosapentaenoic (3.0 +/- 0.1%) acids, but a rela tively low proportion (1.6 +/- 0.1%) of docosahexaenoic acid. Phosphatidylc holine formed the major phospholipid class (73.8 +/- 2.3% w/w of total phos pholipid) and was enriched in linoleic acid, whereas phosphatidylethanolami ne, which formed 20.4 +/- 1.9% (w/w) of total phospholipid, contained highe r proportions of arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids.