Effects of Ciguatera Toxins on the Bluehead

Distinct behavioral abnormalities were displayed by blueheads Thalassoma bifasciatum (wrasse: Labridae) after consumption of a dinoflagellate responsible for producing ciguatera toxins. The symptoms, including skin color variations, inactivity, loss of equilibrium, erratic swimming, jerky feeding movements, loss of orientation, and loss of net avoidance ability, appeared after oral treatments ranging from 0.26 to 4.88 mg˙g⁻¹ of freeze-dried Gambierdiscus toxicus cells. Results suggest that the adverse effects of toxins on blueheads would increase their susceptibility to predation, subsequently increasing the rate of transference within the food chain.