Graduate School of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Nagasaki University, Bunkyo-machi 1-14, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan.
Faculty of Fisheries, Nagasaki University, Bunkyo-machi 1-14, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan.
Mar Drugs. 2021 Nov 26;19(12):670. doi: 10.3390/md19120670.
Toxic crabs of the family Xanthidae contain saxitoxins (STXs) and/or tetrodotoxin (TTX), but the toxin ratio differs depending on their habitat. In the present study, to clarify within reef variations in the toxin profile of xanthid crabs, we collected specimens of the toxic xanthid crab and their sampling location within a single reef (Yoshihara reef) on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, in 2018 and 2019. The STXs/TTX content within the appendages and viscera or stomach contents of each specimen was determined by instrumental analyses. Our findings revealed the existence of three zones in Yoshihara reef; one in which many individuals accumulate extremely high concentrations of STXs (northwestern part of the reef; NW zone), another in which individuals generally have small amounts of TTX but little STXs (central part of the reef; CTR zone), and a third in which individuals generally exhibit intermediate characteristics (southeastern part of the reef; SE zone). Furthermore, light microscopic observations of the stomach contents of crab specimens collected from the NW and CTR zones revealed that ascidian spicules of the genus were dominant in the NW zone, whereas those of the genus were dominant in the CTR zone. Although the toxicity of these ascidians is unknown, ascidians are considered good candidate source organisms of STXs harbored by toxic xanthid crabs.
方蟹科的有毒螃蟹含有石房蛤毒素 (STXs) 和/或河豚毒素 (TTX),但毒素比例因栖息地而异。在本研究中,为了阐明珊瑚礁内 Xanthid 蟹毒素谱的变化,我们于 2018 年和 2019 年在日本冲绳县石垣岛的 Yoshihara 珊瑚礁内收集了有毒方蟹科螃蟹及其采样位置的标本。通过仪器分析确定了每个标本附肢和内脏或胃内容物中的 STXs/TTX 含量。我们的研究结果表明,Yoshihara 珊瑚礁存在三个区域;一个区域内有许多个体积累了极高浓度的 STXs(珊瑚礁的西北部;NW 区),另一个区域内个体通常含有少量的 TTX 但很少有 STXs(珊瑚礁的中部;CTR 区),第三个区域内个体通常表现出中等特征(珊瑚礁的东南部;SE 区)。此外,对从 NW 和 CTR 区采集的螃蟹标本胃内容物的光镜观察表明,NW 区以属 海鞘的刺为优势,而 CTR 区则以属 海鞘的刺为优势。虽然这些海鞘的毒性未知,但它们被认为是携带毒性方蟹科螃蟹的 STXs 的良好候选来源生物。