Spongian diterpenes from Australian Nudibranchs: an anatomically guided chemical study of Glossodoris atromarginata.

An Australian population of the nudibranch mollusk Glossodoris atromarginata has been found to contain furanoditerpenes of the spongian series. Spongia-13(16),14-dien-3-one (1) and 3alpha-acetoxy-19-hydroxyspongia-13(16),14-dien-2-one [corrected] (2) were isolated for the first time from a natural source, along with a series of known diterpenes (3-7). Anatomical dissection of the animals revealed the relative distribution and chemical variation of secondary metabolites. Structural studies have provided a basis for chemical comparisons between populations from different geographic locations.