Lipid profiles of Nematocarcinus gracilis a deep-sea shrimp from below theArabian Sea oxygen minimum zone

Specimens of the deep-sea benthic shrimp Nematocarcinus gracilis were colle cted from 900 m to 1000 m in the Arabian Sea, close to where the permanent oxygen minimum zone meets the sea floor. Lipid profiles, encompassing total lipid, lipid class and fatty acid composition, were compared with previous ly reported crustacean lipid assays and provided an insight into the life h istory of the species. The major storage lipid in N. gracilis was triglycer ide. supporting the supposition that this species exists in benthic regions , Neutral lipid levels were commensurate with N. gracilis being an opportun istic feeder. Fatty acid composition was typical of an organism with a diet based on an ultimately photosynthetic source of organic carbon. but also r eflected the reduction in the availability of labile organic carbon (in the case of lipid, highly unsaturated fatty acids) in the deep sea.