On the sterols of some ascidians.

The lipid content of sea squirts is low, namely less than a half percent of the fresh weight. Lipids consist of about seventy percent of saponifiable lipids and of about twenty percent of non-saponifiable lipids. Both types of these lipids, including sterols, can be synthesized from acetate by these animals. Small amounts of C30 sterols were observed only in Microcosmus sulcatus and Halocynthia papillosa, the species with a low content of C27 sterols and a high content of C28 sterols. In addition these species contained considerable higher amounts of sterols with a double bond at the C22 position than Ciona intestinalis and Styela plicata did.