MARINE TOXINS AND VENOMOUS AND POISONOUS MARINE ANIMALS
283
Stings by the stony corals (Acropora) give rise to immediate pain
often followed by itching and the development of small wheals or blebs,
which may ulcerate. According to Halstead (1959) “ sponge fishermad’s
disease ” is due to the actinian, Sagartia elegans. Small pieces of the
coral may also break off in the skin giving rise to lesions which often
become secondarily infected, particularly by Staphylococcus albus.
Occasionally, poisoning takes place during swimming following
accidental ingestion of broken tentacles from the cnidarian. In these
cases there may be marked systemic effects without any localized
lesions, and severe nausea and vomiting.
Martin ( 1960) has reported fatal poisonings following ingestion
of the sea anemone Rhodactis howesii.
V. ECHINODERMATA
There are approximately 6000 species of echinoderms of which at
least eighty are known to be venomous or poisonous. A number of
members of the class Asteroidea have been implicated in injuries to
humans, including the common starfish Crossaster papposus (L.) and
several members of the genus Echinaster, and among others the many
spined, multi-rayed starfish Acunthaster planci (L.).
I n the class Echinoidea there are many venomous forms, including
the following sea urchins, all of which have caused injuries in humans :
Toxopneustes pileolus (Lamarck), T . elegans Dsderlein, Araeosoma
thetidis (H. L. Clark), A . violaceum Mortensen, Spherechinus granularis (Lamarck), Asthenosoma ijimai Yoshiwara, A . varium Grube,
Diadema setosum (Leske), D . savignyi Michelin, D. paucispinum
A. Agassiz, D . antillarum Philippi, Echinus acutwr Lamarck,
Echinothrix culamaris (Pallas), E . diadem (L.), Paracentrotus lividus
(Lamarck), Salmacis bicolor L. Agassiz, and Strongylocentrotus
droebachiensis (0. Fr. Muller). Ingestion of the ova of certain urchins
gives rise to poisoning, although it is not as yet clear whether the
poisoning is due to bacteria, a toxin or an allergy.
It has long been known that certain sea cucumbers produce a
substance that is toxic to fishes and other marine animals, and perhaps
to man (Cooper, 1880). In the Indo-Pacific area the tissue fluids of
several holothurians, in particular Holothuria utra (Jaeger) and H.
argus (Jaeger), are used by fishermen to deactivate fishes. Prey (1951)
relates how natives on Guam cut up the common black sea cucumber
and squeezed the contents of the animal into blocked crevices and pools.
“ Before long the water became noticeably turbid in appearance, and
shortly thereafter fish began coming to the surface of the pool, exhibiting
much the same type of behavior as in rotenone poisoning.” I have seen
283
Stings by the stony corals (Acropora) give rise to immediate pain
often followed by itching and the development of small wheals or blebs,
which may ulcerate. According to Halstead (1959) “ sponge fishermad’s
disease ” is due to the actinian, Sagartia elegans. Small pieces of the
coral may also break off in the skin giving rise to lesions which often
become secondarily infected, particularly by Staphylococcus albus.
Occasionally, poisoning takes place during swimming following
accidental ingestion of broken tentacles from the cnidarian. In these
cases there may be marked systemic effects without any localized
lesions, and severe nausea and vomiting.
Martin ( 1960) has reported fatal poisonings following ingestion
of the sea anemone Rhodactis howesii.
V. ECHINODERMATA
There are approximately 6000 species of echinoderms of which at
least eighty are known to be venomous or poisonous. A number of
members of the class Asteroidea have been implicated in injuries to
humans, including the common starfish Crossaster papposus (L.) and
several members of the genus Echinaster, and among others the many
spined, multi-rayed starfish Acunthaster planci (L.).
I n the class Echinoidea there are many venomous forms, including
the following sea urchins, all of which have caused injuries in humans :
Toxopneustes pileolus (Lamarck), T . elegans Dsderlein, Araeosoma
thetidis (H. L. Clark), A . violaceum Mortensen, Spherechinus granularis (Lamarck), Asthenosoma ijimai Yoshiwara, A . varium Grube,
Diadema setosum (Leske), D . savignyi Michelin, D. paucispinum
A. Agassiz, D . antillarum Philippi, Echinus acutwr Lamarck,
Echinothrix culamaris (Pallas), E . diadem (L.), Paracentrotus lividus
(Lamarck), Salmacis bicolor L. Agassiz, and Strongylocentrotus
droebachiensis (0. Fr. Muller). Ingestion of the ova of certain urchins
gives rise to poisoning, although it is not as yet clear whether the
poisoning is due to bacteria, a toxin or an allergy.
It has long been known that certain sea cucumbers produce a
substance that is toxic to fishes and other marine animals, and perhaps
to man (Cooper, 1880). In the Indo-Pacific area the tissue fluids of
several holothurians, in particular Holothuria utra (Jaeger) and H.
argus (Jaeger), are used by fishermen to deactivate fishes. Prey (1951)
relates how natives on Guam cut up the common black sea cucumber
and squeezed the contents of the animal into blocked crevices and pools.
“ Before long the water became noticeably turbid in appearance, and
shortly thereafter fish began coming to the surface of the pool, exhibiting
much the same type of behavior as in rotenone poisoning.” I have seen