Fanning, Line Islands (Randall 



1 in ee specimens, 248-406 mm 

 obtained for testing from Bikini. 



found toxic at 

 1958). 

 Three specimens, 248-406 mm (0.4-0.7 kg), were 

 n "■'■■ None were toxic. 



Serranidae (Groupers) 



Cephalopholis argus Bloch and Schneider (Fig- 

 ure 14): This common brown blue-spotted grouper 

 has 9 dorsal spines ( in contrast to 1 1 for the group- 

 ers of the genus Epinephelus). It does not reach 

 large size, but is has occasionally been implicated 

 in ciguatera. Although it is most abundant in 

 outer reef areas, it also occurs on lagoon reefs. 



A total of nine specimens from Enewetak were 

 tested; these ranged from 278 to 390 SL (0.45-1.6 

 kg). Two were nontoxic, three gave a reaction of 1, 

 three were recorded as 2, and the largest was a 4. 



Randall (1955a) found 8 of 10 individuals of this 

 grouper from the Gilbert Islands with empty 

 stomachs; 1 had eaten a fish (probably from 

 rotenone), and 1 a penaeid shrimp. Randall and 

 Brock (1960) obtained 280 specimens for food- 

 habit study, of which 182 were empty; 77.5% con- 

 tained fishes and the rest crustaceans. Hiatt and 

 Strasburg (1960) reported on food in five of eight 

 stomachs from the Marshall Islands as crusta- 

 ceans, fishes, and polychaetes. Helfrich et al. 

 (1968) examined the stomachs of 51 from Palmyra; 

 they found fishes in 89% of the stomachs and crus- 

 taceans. Harmelin-Vivien and Bouchon (1976) 

 caught 43 C. argus for stomach-content analyses 

 in Madagascar. They found fishes 95.7% by 



FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 78, NO. 2 



weight, shrimps 3.9%, and stomatopods 0.4% in 

 the stomachs. 



For the present study the stomachs of 39 speci- 

 mens, 145-392 mm SL, from Enewetak, Society 

 Islands, Samoa Islands, Palmyra, Marcus Island, 

 and Pitcairn, were examined. Twenty-six were 

 empty, one had eaten a stomatopod, and the rest 

 contained fishes (two of these were the acronurus 

 stage of Acanthuridae, one a labrid, one an anten- 

 nariid, and one Apogon kallopterus). 



Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (Forsskal) (Figure 

 15): The name E. fuscoguttatus was used by 

 Schultz in Schultz and collaborators ( 1953) for the 

 more common related species properly called E. 

 microdon (Bleeker) (systematic clarification by 

 Randall 1964). The two are similar in morphology 

 and color. Epinephelus fuscoguttatus has higher 

 pectoral ray counts (18 or 19, compared with 16 or 

 17 for E. microdon) and more lower limb gill rak- 

 ers ( 18-21, including rudiments, compared with 16 

 or 17 for.E. microdon). 



This grouper is a large species; it is not common. 

 Furthermore, it is the most wary of Marshall Is- 

 lands groupers. Seven specimens (335-780 mm SL, 

 3.1-15.4 kg) were taken at Enewetak for testing, 

 and none at Bikini. Four of the seven were toxic at 

 the 2 level, and one (710 mm SL) was a 3. 



Harmelin-Vivien and Bouchon (1976) caught 

 four individuals of this species for food-habit study 

 in Madagascar. The stomachs contained 94.2% 

 fishes by weight and 5.8% brachyuran crabs. 



The stomachs of seven specimens from 



Figure U.— Cephalopholis argus, 232 mm SL, Tahiti, Society Islands. 



216 



