FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 78, NO. 2 



been recorded from throughout the tropical 

 Indo-West Pacific. It is often found in caves. 



Randall (1958) reported this species as occa- 

 sionally toxic in Tahiti. In his review of ciguatoxic 

 fishes, Halstead (1967) cited this and three other 

 references. 



Six specimens, 232-280 mm SL (0.35-0.66 kg), 

 were collected for assay of toxicity from Enewetak. 

 All were nontoxic. 



Randall (1958) found fishes in the stomachs of 

 two adults from Tahiti. Hiatt and Strasburg 

 (1960) examined the stomachs of nine from 

 Enewetak, one of which was empty. Crabs (espe- 

 cially xanthids) dominated the stomach contents 

 of the other specimens: 12% contained 

 stoma topods and 12% fishes. The stomachs of five 

 specimens from Hawaii reported by Hobson ( 1974) 

 contained crustaceans, mainly caridean shrimps, 

 and xanthid crabs. 



For this food-habit study a total of 31 specimens 

 ranging from 182 to 280 mm SL were obtained, 

 principally from Enewetak, but a few from the Red 

 Sea, Society Islands, Hawaiian Islands, and 

 American Samoa. Because this species is noctur- 

 nal, like other holocentrids in general, most 

 specimens were collected in early morning hours. 

 Twenty-eight of these fish had food in their 

 stomachs; 82% by volume consisted of crabs, 

 mostly xanthids, 5% fishes (including Lycodontis 

 rueppelliae and a prejuvenile acanthurid), and the 

 rest shrimps, a hermit crab, unidentified crusta- 

 ceans (mostly larval), larval moUusks, and an un- 

 identified worm. 



Sphyraenidae (Barracudas) 



Sphyraena harracudaa (Walbaum) (Figure 11): 

 The great barracuda is distinctive in having a few 

 blackish blotches on the side, especially posterior- 

 ly and ventrally, and the lowest lateral line scale 



count of the genus (76-85). It is the worst offender 

 for causing ciguatera in the West Indies, due not 

 only to the high level of toxicity of occasional indi- 

 viduals but also to its relative abundance there. 

 The species is far less common in the Indo-West 

 Pacific. 



Seven specimens 563-1,182 mm SL (1.5-13.6 kg) 

 from Enewetak were tested, and three from Bi- 

 kini, 640-1,143 mm SL, the largest 15.0 kg. Three 

 from Enewetak were nontoxic, one was toxic at the 

 level of 1; two gave a reaction of 2; and one (1,050 

 mm, 12.7 kg) was a 3. The three from Bikini were 

 tested at 0, 1, and 2. 



de Sylva (1963) made a studv of thesystematics 

 and life history of the great barracuda, principally 

 from material from the western Atlantic. He re- 

 viewed previous papers which presented limited 

 data on the food habits of this species. Among 

 them was the report by Ommanney in Wheeler 

 and Ommanney (1953) on the fishes found in the 

 stomachs of 5 of 12 specimens of S. commersoni 

 (now known to be a junior synonym of S. bar- 

 racuda) from the Seychelles. One of the five con- 

 tained an unidentified eel and another Lethrinus 

 ramak. de Sylva mistakenly reported Omman- 

 ney's five barracuda as all having eaten L. ramak. 



de Sylva opened the stomachs of 901 great bar- 

 racuda, including juveniles, from various 

 localities in the tropical western Atlantic. Of 

 these, 529 (58.7%) contained food. Fishes were 

 found in 82.2% of the stomachs, plant material in 

 2.8% (probably accidentally ingested with prey), 

 invertebrates (notably squids and shrimps) in 

 2.6%, and unidentifiable material in 12.2%. The 

 Hemiramphidae was the most common family of 

 fishes found in the stomachs of 446 adult bar- 

 racuda from Florida, whereas tetraodontid fishes 

 predominated in the stomach contents of 132 

 adults from Bimini, Bahamas. 



The stomachs of 13 specimens, 560-1,182 mm 



Figure ll. — Sphyraena barracuda, 524 mm SL, Palmyra, Line Islands. 



214 



