MARINE ANIMALS THAT STING 91 



Treatment. See below for the treatment of venomous fish stings. 



Prevention. In handling rabbitfishes, one should be careful to 

 avoid being jabbed with the dorsal, pelvic or anal stings. 



STAR-GAZERS 



Star-gazers are bottom-dwelling marine fishes, members of the 

 family Uranoscopidae, having a cuboid head, an almost vertical 

 mouth with fringed lips, and eyes on the flat upper surface of the 

 head. Uranoscopids spend a large part of their time buried in the 

 mud or sand with only their eyes and a portion of the mouth 

 protruding. 



Species of Star-Gazers : 



Star-Gazer or Mishmimaokoze, Uranoscopus japonicus Hout- 

 tuyn (Fig. 56, Top). Inhabits southern Japan, southern Korea, 

 China, Philippine Islands, and Singapore. 



Star-Gazer, Uranoscopus duvali (Bottard) (Fig. 56, Center). 

 Inhabits the Indo-Pacific area. 



Star-Gazer, Uranoscopus scaber (Linnaeus) (Fig. 56, Bottom). 

 Inhabits the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. 



Venom Apparatus. The venom apparatus of Uranoscopus is said 

 to consist of two shoulder spines, one on either side, each of which 

 protrudes through a sheath of skin (Fig. 57). Venom glands are 

 attached to these spines. The spine is said to have a double groove 

 through which the venom flows. 



Medical Aspects. There is no information available regarding the 

 clinical characteristics of wounds produced by star-gazers. Wounds 

 from the Mediterranean species, U. scaber, may be fatal. 



Treatment. See below for the treatment of fish stings. 



Prevention. Star-gazers should be handled with extreme care in 

 order to avoid being jabbed by the shoulder spines. 



TREATMENT OF VENOMOUS FISH STINGS 



Efforts in treating venomous fish stings should be directed 

 toward achieving three objectives: (1) alleviating pain, (2) com- 

 bating effects of the venom, (3) preventing secondary infection. 

 The pain results from the effects of the trauma produced by the 

 fish spine, venom, and the introduction of slime and other irritating 



