The carotenoid composition of 16 marine red algae from polar and temperate habitats was investigated. With the exception of Delesseria lancifolia, all showed a simple carotenoid pattern with one major xanthophyll, either lutein or zeaxanthin. Delesseria lancifolia exhibited a more complex pattern with three major xanthophylls. They were identified according to their retention times in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and their spectral characteristics as violaxanthin, antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin. Although these pigments are part of the xanthophyll cycle in higher plants and brown algae, we found no evidence for a short-term light-induced conversion among these pigments in Delesseria lancifolia. The pigment stoichiometry was unchanged after several days in different irradiances.