1.1. The composition of sterol mixture from the “living fossil” crinoid Gymnocrinus richeri collected off Nouméa (New Caledonia) was investigated.2.2. The free 3β-OH sterol mixture was found to contain 14 components, Δ5 and ring saturated stanols, identified by GC-MS.3.3. Cholest-4-en-3-one, cholesta-1, 4-dien-3-one (this latter firstly isolated from a marine source), 5α-8α-epidioxy sterols, and 5α-ergosta-7,22-diene-3β,5,6β-triol were also present, their characterization being accomplished by EI-MS and 1H-NMR. The methanol extract also contained sterol sulphates, which were identified by GC-MS after solvolysis to remove the sulphate group.