Algal phagostimulants for marine herbivorous gastropods

Methanol extracts of the green algaUlva pertusa contain four kinds of glycerolipids that are active as feeding-stimulants for marine herbivorous gastropods. These compounds are digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG), 1,2-diacylglycerly-4-O-(N,N,N-trimethyl)-homoserine (DGTH), 1-monoacylglyceryl-4'-O-(N,N,N-trimethyl)-homoserine (MGTH), and 6-sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG). The various gastropods exhibit marked specificity, however, as young abaloneHaliotis discus respond to DGDG and DGTH at minute dosages of 20–30 g/sample zone, but do not respond to 300 g of SQDG, which is a phagostimulant for two other kinds of gastropods,Turbo comutus andOmphalius pfeifferi.Chemical Studies on Phagostimulants for Marine Gastropods. Part VI. For Part V, see Sakata et al. (1986b).