Study of chemical composition of zooplankton and jellyfish Catostylus perezi of coastal area of Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This paper investigates the proximate analysis of zooplankton and the jellyfish Catostylus perezi through studying the content of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates (as glucose) in three different stations of Al-Khobar coastal area (Saudi Arabia) during four seasons. Physical and chemical factors of water, specific composition, abundance and biomass of zooplankton were also studied. The results indicate clear temporal and spatial differences in the content of organic matter of zooplankton. Proteins values were between 118.8 and 439.7 mg/g and lipids values were between below detection levels and 55.2 mg/g; whereas carbohydrates values ranged between 0.035 and 0.371 mg/g as dry weight. The results indicate clear differences in the content of organic matter of the jellyfish parts especially the medusa.