MARINE ANIMALS THAT ARE POISONOUS TO EAT 125 



Snapper, Monotaxis grandoculis (Forskal) (Fig. 82, Top) . Poly- 

 nesia, westward to east Africa. 



Chinaman Fish, Paradicichthys venenatus Whitley (Fig. 82, 

 Center). Australia. 



Parrotfish, Scaras caeruleus (Bloch) (Fig. 82, Bottom). Florida 

 and West Indies. 



Parrotfish, Scams microrhinos Bleeker (Fig. 83, Top). Indo- 



Pacific. 



Seabass, Grouper, Cephalopholis argus Bloch and Schneider 

 (Fig. 83, Next to Top). Tropical Indo-Pacific. 



Seabass, Plectropomus oligacanthus Bleeker (Fig. 83, Next to 

 Bottom). Indonesia, Philippine, Caroline and Marshall Islands. 



Seabass, Plectropomus truncatus (Fowler) (Fig. 83, Bottom). 

 Micronesia, Indonesia, Philippines. 



Seabass,) Variola louti(Forska\) (Fig. 84, Top). Tropical Indo- 

 Pacific. 



Barracuda, Sphyraena barracuda (Walbaum) (Fig. 84, Bottom). 

 Indo-Pacific; from Hawaii to the Red Sea; west Atlantic from 

 Brazil to the West Indies, Florida and Bermuda. 



Medical Aspects. Tingling about the lips, tongue, and throat, fol- 

 lowed by numbness may develop immediately or any time within a 

 period of 30 hours after ingestion of the fish. The tingling sensation 

 may be accompanied by such other symptoms as nausea, vomiting, 

 metallic taste, dryness of the mouth, abdominal cramps, and diar- 

 rhea. The muscles of the mouth, cheeks and jaws may become 

 drawn and spastic, with a feeling of numbness. Headache, joint 

 aches, nervousness, prostration, dizziness, pallor, cyanosis, inability 

 to sleep, extreme weakness, and exhaustion are frequently present. 

 The feeling of weakness may become progressively worse until the 

 patient is unable to walk. Muscle pains are generally described as 

 dull, heavy aches or cramping sensations, but may also be sharp, 

 shooting, affecting particularly the arms and legs. Victims complain 

 of their teeth feeling loose and painful in their sockets. Visual dis- 

 turbances consisting of blurring, temporary blindness, sensitivity 

 to light, and spots before the eyes are not uncommon. Skin dis- 

 orders are frequently reported consisting of intense itching, red 

 papular rash, blisters, extensive areas of loss of skin, especially 

 of the hands and feet, and occasionally ulceration. There may also 

 be loss of hair and nails. 



In severe intoxication the nervous symptoms are particularly 

 pronounced. The victim may interpret the feeling of cold as a 



Fig. 79. Top to bottom: Squirrelfish, Myripristis murdjan (Forskal). Oceanic 



Bonito, Katsuwonus pelamis (Linnaeus). Wrasse, Epibulus insidiat or (Pallas). 



(From Hiyama) Wrasse, Julie gaimardi (Quoy and Gaimard). (Arita) 



