1, Dokuhlrasji (Plate 4 Flgare 10) 



Scientific narr.o^- Caranx melam oyfrus Cuvier & Valenciennes 



Local name - lane (Ilarshallese;, gara (Okinavnan fishermen), generally 



called hiraa.ji by Japanese 

 Distribution - Red Sea, Indian Ocean, tropical Pacific, taken rarely in 



Ryukyus. 



Morphology - First dorsal VIII, second dorsal I, 24. Anal II / I, 19 - 20. 

 Scutfes on straight portion of lateral line 36 - 38. Eye very small, pos- 

 terior end of maxillary extends to a point directly beneath the anterior 

 edge of the pupil. Attains lar^e sizej specimens over one meter in length 

 are not unusual. fPage 32j [Tables 11, 12, 13 1 



(?age 335 [Tables 14, 15 J 

 (Page 34] 



Toxicity . Results of exTDeriments with animals were as shown in tables 

 11 - 19. 



The two cats eatin^ raw flesh, two eating cooked flesh, and one eating 

 liver showed marked symptoms of poisoning (except for one which ate raw 

 flesh without ill effects), and one which ate 10 rnr of liver died. In the 

 62 experiments with mice- the technique for detecting symptoms was unsatis- 

 factory in most cases, and only the 13 animals recorded in tables 18' and 

 19 showed any reaction. In these cases those which ate cooked flesh, raw 

 flesh, blood, or liver all exhibited fairly clear signs of poisoning, 

 [Tables 16, 17j 

 [Page 35J 



The two fish tested were 90 and 71 centimeters long, Coraparinf: the 

 two, the 90 cm one produced a clearer reaction in both the cats and the 

 mice. Considering the various organs, it appears that the blood and the 

 liver are of marked toxicity. 



The popular opinion (especially at Saipan) is that this species is 

 one of those most frequently responsible for cases of poisoning. Judging 

 from the results of inquiries among fishermen, doctors, and natives, poison 

 in this species is limited to the large individuals and most cases seem to 

 have resulted from eating cooked flesh from the head, 

 i'Page 36j 



In the four animal experiments in which we especialXv tried to use 

 flesh from the hend region, it was difficult to detect any more narked 

 toxicity than in the other cases, although cases of poisoning in human 

 beings show that tendency. Of the two fish tested, the toxicity of the 

 71 cm specimen was inferior to that of the 90 cm one, which agrees with 

 the tenden<5r reported In cases involving human beings. 



Small fish (around 30-40 cm) are widely sold for food, but those of 

 one meter or more in length appear not to be eaten. Most cases of poison- 

 ing seem to occur when, occasionally, one of a medium size is eaten, ^e 

 ourselves were served this fish prepared as sliced raw fish, the length of 

 the fish being unknown to us, and no poisoning resulted. 



According to fishermen, persons- who fear poisoning if large specimens 

 are eaten in an unprepared condition, soak the fish overnight in ice water 

 and the next day prepare fishcake from it for sale; no cases of poisoning 

 as a result of this procedure have been reported. It is wondered whether 

 this is because the toxic element can be washed out in water. (See Section 

 5 of Chapter IV on elirrlnating the poison), 



28 



V 



