RANDALL: SURVEY OF CIGUATERA AT MARSHALL ISLANDS 



16 soft rays in the dorsal fin, a total of 27-30 gill 

 rakers, instead of 20-27, and a more elongate body. 



Epinephelus tauvina is not very common in the 

 Marshall Islands. It may be found in both lagoon 

 and outer reef environments. 



Six specimens from Enewetak, 324-434 mm SL, 

 0.45-2.54 kg, were tested. Four were nontoxic, and 

 one each was poisonous at the 1 and 2 levels. One 

 specimen from Bikini, 400 mm SL, was nontoxic, 

 while a second, 450 mm SL (2.3 kg), gave a mon- 

 goose test of 3. 



Randall and Brock {I960) found food in the 

 stomachs of 3 of 12 specimens (identified as E. 

 elongatus) collected in the Society Islands. All had 

 eaten fishes; in addition, one stomach contained a 

 crab chela. 



Thirty-four specimens, 204-500 mm SL, from 

 Enewetak, Society Islands, Line Islands, Cook Is- 

 lands, Rapa, and the Red Sea were examined for 

 food. Nineteen had empty stomachs, one contained 

 a crab, and the rest had eaten fishes, of which one 

 could be identified to species {Adioryx lacteogut- 

 tatus) and three to family (Pomacentridae, 

 Holocentridae, and MuUidae). 



Plectropomus leopardus (Lacepede) (Figure 21): 

 This is the largest and most common of four group- 

 ers of the genus Plectropomus in the Marshall 

 Islands. The genus is readily distinguished from 

 other Micronesian serranid genera in having 

 eight dorsal spines and large canine teeth in the 

 jaws; also the body is more elongate than most 

 other groupers. Plectropomus leopardus is reddish 

 with small dark-edged blue spots and an emargin- 

 ate caudal fin. 



This species is among the worst offenders in 

 Oceania for causing ciguatera. Halstead (1967) 

 listed it as poisonous from Jaluit in the Marshall 

 Islands and in the Tuamotus. He cited 10 papers 

 that have reported on its toxicity in the Pacific, 

 among them Randall (1958) who noted it as the 

 most toxic of the groupers in Tahiti and reported 

 his own poisoning from the Tuamotus. 



Thirty-one specimens were collected at 

 Enewetak for ciguatoxin content, mainly by 

 spearing. The fish ranged from 426 to 790 mm SL 

 and weighed from 1.8 to 11.8 kg. Twelve were 

 nontoxic, six were poisonous at the 1 level, eight at 

 2, four at 3, and one (520 mm SL) was a 5. One 

 specimen (8.2 kg) from Bikini was nontoxic. 



Randall and Brock (1960) recorded the food of 

 seven specimens from the Society Islands: four had 

 empty stomachs and the rest had eaten fishes. 



Thirty-seven specimens 426-790 mm SL were 

 collected for food-habit study from Enewetak, So- 

 ciety Islands, and Okinawa. Fifteen had empty 

 stomachs, and the rest contained fishes. Five had 

 eaten parrotfishes (one grouper, 702 mm SL, con- 

 tained a Scarus gibbus 3 13 mm SL). A 643 mm fish 

 contained two acanthurids, one of which was a 

 Ctenochaetus striatus 153 mm SL. A 705 mm 

 grouper had eaten a labrid, Cheilinus undulatus, 

 270 mm SL. Two others had groupers in their 

 stomachs, a 659 mm fish contained E. tauvina 267 

 mm SL, and a 790 mm fish contained a half- 

 digested Epinephelus sp. 



Plectropomus melanoleucus (Lacepede) (Figure 

 22): This distinctively colored grouper, white with 



Figure 2l.— Plectropomus leopardus, 513 mm SL, 3.4 kg, Enewetak, Marshall Islands. 



221 



