Local name - le.1eb.1eb ('-arshallese), tamakal (Japanese 



distribution - E. Africa, India, China, Inner South Seas, Philippines, Japan 

 "orpholofsr - Resembles the precedln'^ species, but has three black spots on the 

 dorsal part of the posterior half of the body. 



Toxicity . This species is also nonpoisonous . It is handled in the markets 

 as a food fish. This fish is taken in f^reat quantities at Jaluit in the winter. 

 The name le.1eb.1eb belon?;s proper Iv to this species, and the precedin'^ species 

 is snid to be a variety of it. At Jaluit this fish is vjell-flavored and is 

 esteemed by the Japanese, who call it also tamakai . 



["Pa^e 833 Section 10 Family ITepatidae 



The fishes treated in this section belon'r to the family Hepatidae. Only a 

 very few species of this family occur in Japan. They are snail fish nith tou(»h 

 skins and because of this, together vjith their strans^e anpearance, there Is 

 apparently no place in Japan where they are used as food, 



'^or this reason there is- little chance that Japanese Roin-T to the South Seas 

 will catch and eat these fish, however, the number of species occurrin» in the 

 South Seas area is extraordinarily *^eat, and it can be naid that the na.lority 

 of the fish taken by drivinf»-in nets near coral reefs are of this family, "e 

 therefore considered it necessary to acquire some accurate knov.ledf»e in the fieldl 

 concernin«» their edibility. The natives distim^uish many different species of 

 these fish. 



Since these fish live araon'^ the coral reefs, their teeth are snail and 

 numerous, beinc; adapted to eatin.** coral polyps. 



1. Sazanamihagi (Plate 19 Firrure 52) 



Scientific name - Ctenochaetus strifrosua (Bennett) 



local name - kushiku. kuchiku . kusaku, kusaba (Okinnvjan dialect used by Saipan 



Japanese) i diebdro ("arshallese) 

 Distribution - Red Sea, Indian Ocean, E, Indies, South Seas, I'hilipnines , '^'awaii 



area, Formosa, China Sea, Okinavja. 

 "omholo'^y - A characteristic of this genus is that the comb-like teeth are 

 movable. The individual teeth are spoon-shaped vjith round tips. 



This snecles has numerous fine blue horizontal lines on the sides of the 

 body. There are indistinct yellow-bronn soots on the hca i, and several blue 

 lines on the dorsal and anal fins. Tt is a small fish ornuni 20 en lone;. 



Toxicity . This species vjas taken in lar^e numbers in drivin«»-in nets. 

 Seventeen specimens were tested in order to ascertain nhether toxicity varied as 

 betneen Indivldtials. Results are shown belovj in tables P6-104. 

 [Papje P4] 



Of the 17 specimens, three produced no noticeable effects. Only two (Mo. 5 

 and '^0. 7) produced stronr^ symptoms, and the rest -'ere rcte-i -s mildly nr sli''htl3( 

 toxic. Fish were collected at four stations to test the natives ' strtonent that 

 the toxicity varies dependin^^'on the locality, but no definite variation could be 

 demonstrated. Various orr;ans, blood, liver, and muscle tissue .ere tested 



4)6 i 



