The chemical nature of scaritoxin

Two toxins were isolated from Scarus sordidus (Family Scaridae) collected at Tarawa atoll, Republic of Kiribati. Both toxins were present in the flesh and viscera, but in different ratios. They correspond to the previously described scaritoxin and ciguatoxin. The toxins can be interconverted and evoke parallel symptoms in mice. Scaritoxin is probably identical with less polar ciguatoxin, but lack of material prevented unequivocal proof by spectral comparison.