LIPIDOS TOTALES EN LA MUSCULATURA DE PINGUIPES CHILENSIS VALENCIENNES 1833 (PERCIFORMES, PINGUIPEDIDAE)

pinguipes chilensis presents an alimentary and reproductive pattern similar around the year. the hepatosomatic index and the condition factor are not correlated with gonad maturation as an expression of independence between store energy as lipids in muscles and liver associated with reproductive processes. in this work the percentage of total lipids in muscles of p. chilensis and body variation were determined. also the differences between sex and ontogeny were evaluated. in fishes caught off talcahuano, chile (12 females and 11 males) the total lipids percentages were quantified using the soxhlet method. samples of muscles were taken from three parts of the body (anterior, center and posterior). the muscles present no statistical differences in lipid content between the body parts for males or females (p= 0.24 and 0.12 respectively). in pooled samples the lipid content in the posterior part is minor (p= 0.01) to the central part. the total lipid contents are not related with length (p>0.2) or weight (p>0.2) showing the muscles with less importance as lipids store or that the lipids are moved continuously for the gonad maturation