Fatty acids Compositions in Male’s Gonads of the Red Sea Fish Rhabdosargus sarba During the Spawning Season

A total of 27 fatty acids (FAs) were identified in testis throughout the spawning season of male R. sarba. In male gonad saturated fatty acids (SFA) were the main fatty acid group in total lipid in testis (34%) followed by PUFA (29.1%) and MUFA (11.6%). In all maturation stages SFA were the main fatty acid group in testis (30.4-35.4%). Of individual fatty acid, the major constituents of SFA were Palmitic acid C16:0 (18. 5%) and Stearic acid C18:0 (8.5%) in nearly ripe and ripe stages respectively. Oleic acid C18:1 (8.8%) was found to be the main MUFA in ripe stage and Linoleic acid C18:2 (10.8%) was the main PUFA in nearly ripe stage. During spawning and maturation stages there were a significant differences in total SFA and MUFA (P<0.05).