Distribution of paralytic toxins in California shellfish.

Samples of Saxidomus nuttali and Mytilus californianus collected during the 1981 dinoflagellate bloom at Bodega Bay, California, were analyzed for the presence of paralytic toxins. Neck tissue of S. nuttali contained saxitoxin (STX) and neoSTX (95% of the total toxicity), whereas the bodies contained neoSTX and a mixture of the gonyautoxins. In a sample of M. californianus the presence of neoSTX and the gonyautoxins was demonstrated, whereas a second sample, collected at a different site, contained almost exclusively neoSTX.