Aqueous extracts of the coralline red algae Bossiella orbigniana have been shown to catalyze the enzymatic oxidation of arachidonic acid to a previously unreported omega-6 eicosapentaenoic acid product. This unique fatty acid contains a conjugated tetraene with absorption maxima at 293, 306, and 321 nm, and was identified by spectral methods as 5(Z),8(Z),10(E),14(Z)-eicosapentaenoic acid. The compound was given the trivial name bosseopentaenoic acid. Under experimental conditions, production of bosseopentaenoic acid was linear up to 2 hr and dioxygen was consumed. Bosseopentaenoic acid, along with several other conjugated tetraenes, was also present in the algae endogenously as revealed by a comparison of the ultra-violet (UV) spectra and the high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) pattern of the purified product and the organic extract of Bossiella.