RANDALL: SURVEY OF CIGUATERA AT MARSHALL ISLANDS 



Figure 24.— Variola louti, 273 mmSL, Enewetak, Marshall Islands. 



Variola louti is well known as a cause of cigua- 

 tera. In Mauritius it is prohibited from sale in fish 

 markets. Toxicity there has been reported by 

 Wheeler in Wheeler and Ommanney (1953). 



Nineteen specimens were obtained for testing at 

 Enewetak. They ranged from 352 to 418 mm SL 

 and weighed from 1.1 to 2.2 kg. Thirteen were 

 nontoxic, four gave a mongoose test of 1, and two a 

 test of 3. Two from Bikini, 292 and 420 mm SL, 

 were nontoxic. 



Randall and Brock (1960) opened seven 

 stomachs of the species from the Society Islands. 

 Five were empty and two contained digested 

 fishes. Hiatt and Strasburg ( 1960) found a juvenile 

 unicornfish, Naso sp., in the stomach of one of two 

 specimens from Bikini. Helfrich et al. (1968) 

 examined the stomach contents of 44 specimens 

 from the Line Islands. They found fishes, includ- 

 ing acanthurids, balistids, and muraenids, in 80% 

 of the stomachs, and crustaceans in 11%. 



For the present food-habit study 44 specimens 

 were examined. These ranged from 180 to 560 mm 

 SL (largest weighed 5.45 kg). They were caught at 

 Enewetak, Bikini, Line Islands, Tahiti, 

 Rarotonga, Pitcairn Group, Rapa, and Tutuila. 

 Twenty had empty stomachs. One contained a 

 crab, one a spiny lobster, and the rest had eaten 

 fishes, of which the following were identified at 

 least to family: Adioryx sp. ( 120 mm specimen in a 

 295 mm grouper), Scorpaena sp. ( 28 mm specimen 

 in a 235 mm grouper), Parupeneus trifasciatus (a 

 53 mm transforming specimen in a 470 mm 

 grouper), juvenile Chaetodon sp., Anampses 



caeruleopunctatus (identified from scales), Scarus 

 sordidus ( 140 mm specimen in a 375 mm grouper), 

 and a pomacentrid. 



Lutjanidae (Snappers) 



Aprion uirescens Valenciennes (Figure 25): This 

 elongate snapper has been reported as poisonous 

 from a number of Pacific localities, including the 

 leeward Hawaiian Islands (Halstead 1967). 

 Halstead did not list any Indian Ocean localities. 

 It may therefore be worthy of note that the author 

 incurred a mild case of ciguatera from eating a fish 

 of this species at Mauritius. Also he was informed 

 that poisoning is known from nearby Reunion. 



Aprion uirescens is a roving carnivore of open 

 water but often found within or near reef areas, 

 both in atoll lagoons and in outer reef zones. It is 

 difficult to approach underwater; most of the 

 specimens were obtained by hook and line, often 

 while trolling. 



Eleven specimens, 435-622 mm SL (1.6-5.2 kg), 

 from Enewetak were tested. Eight were nontoxic, 

 one (589 mm) gave a reaction of 1, one (622 mm) 

 was a 3, and one (620 mm) a 4. 



Eight were taken at Bikini ranging from 406 to 

 685 mm SL (1.8-5.4 kg). All, exept one of 457 mm 

 SL which produced a mongoose reaction of 1, were 

 nontoxic. 



Ommanney in Wheeler and Ommanney (1953) 

 reported on the analysis of stomach contents of 80 

 A. uirescens from the Mauritius-Seychelles region. 

 Forty-four of these were empty. The stomachs of 



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