Dr. D. Ross Robertson, Panama
Info
Adult snapper are found over natural and artificial hard bottoms, while juvenile fish live in shallow waters, including estuaries, and are often found over sandy or muddy bottoms.
Lutjanus campechanus has a very high (high site fidelity and long residence times in natural and artificial habitats
Manual tracking over 24 hours at similar locations indicates that snappers reside near artificial reef structures, with approximately 75% of all fish locations within 30 m of reef sites.
Individuals collected from standing platforms were significantly younger but larger than the red snapper from the shelf edge banks.
In good conditions, these snappers can live up to 57 years and the species is sexually separate (gonochorism).
Not an animal for an aquarium due to many aspects!
Consuming this animal can trigger the dreaded Ciguatera fish poisoning.
The cause is to be found in certain unicellular organisms (dinoflagellates, such as Gambierdiscus toxicus), which produce toxins in the body of harmless and otherwise well-tolerated food fish, which can lead to various symptoms in humans:
Initial symptoms: Sweating, numbness and burning, especially around the mouth.
This is followed later by chills, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and muscle cramps. Paresthesia (itching, tingling, numbness) on the lips, the mucous membrane of the mouth and especially on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, numbness in the hands, feet and face.
Paralysis of the skeletal muscles, including the respiratory muscles, dizziness and coordination disorders may occur. Muscle pain, joint pain, headache, toothache, shivering and sweating are further symptoms. A general feeling of weakness develops. Consumption of alcohol aggravates the symptoms.
Less common are life-threatening drops in blood pressure and palpitations (tachycardia) or the opposite. Overall, the condition is very rare, but it leads to death in about 7% of cases.
Attention: An antidote does not exist!
First aid:
As early as possible: Pump out the stomach, if vomiting does not occur by itself
Activated carbon (medical carbon) give to bind the toxins: dosage is 1 g / kg body weight.
Promote excretion: As an acute therapy, the attending physician can give an infusion of 20% mannitol (sugar alcohol). The mechanism of action is unclear. Mannitol promotes urine excretion, so this measure should only be taken after fluid and electrolytes have been supplemented to prevent a circulatory collapse.
Rehydration with fluid and electrolytes is a sensible measure anyway, especially after vomiting and diarrhoea.
In life-threatening situations, plasma expanders should be given, i.e. infusions that increase the volume of the blood and remain in the circulation for a long time.
Cardiovascular symptoms may require further medical intervention: Atropine can be given if the heartbeat slows down, dopamine if the blood pressure drops.
You can find more information here:
http://www.dr-bernhard-peter.de/Apotheke/seite116.htm
Synonyms:
Lutjanus blackfordii Goode & Bean, 1878 · unaccepted
Lutjanus campechianus Poey, 1860 · unaccepted (misspelling)
Mesoprion campechanus Poey, 1860 · unaccepted
Neomaenis aya (Bloch) · uncertain
Lutjanus campechanus has a very high (high site fidelity and long residence times in natural and artificial habitats
Manual tracking over 24 hours at similar locations indicates that snappers reside near artificial reef structures, with approximately 75% of all fish locations within 30 m of reef sites.
Individuals collected from standing platforms were significantly younger but larger than the red snapper from the shelf edge banks.
In good conditions, these snappers can live up to 57 years and the species is sexually separate (gonochorism).
Not an animal for an aquarium due to many aspects!
Consuming this animal can trigger the dreaded Ciguatera fish poisoning.
The cause is to be found in certain unicellular organisms (dinoflagellates, such as Gambierdiscus toxicus), which produce toxins in the body of harmless and otherwise well-tolerated food fish, which can lead to various symptoms in humans:
Initial symptoms: Sweating, numbness and burning, especially around the mouth.
This is followed later by chills, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and muscle cramps. Paresthesia (itching, tingling, numbness) on the lips, the mucous membrane of the mouth and especially on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, numbness in the hands, feet and face.
Paralysis of the skeletal muscles, including the respiratory muscles, dizziness and coordination disorders may occur. Muscle pain, joint pain, headache, toothache, shivering and sweating are further symptoms. A general feeling of weakness develops. Consumption of alcohol aggravates the symptoms.
Less common are life-threatening drops in blood pressure and palpitations (tachycardia) or the opposite. Overall, the condition is very rare, but it leads to death in about 7% of cases.
Attention: An antidote does not exist!
First aid:
As early as possible: Pump out the stomach, if vomiting does not occur by itself
Activated carbon (medical carbon) give to bind the toxins: dosage is 1 g / kg body weight.
Promote excretion: As an acute therapy, the attending physician can give an infusion of 20% mannitol (sugar alcohol). The mechanism of action is unclear. Mannitol promotes urine excretion, so this measure should only be taken after fluid and electrolytes have been supplemented to prevent a circulatory collapse.
Rehydration with fluid and electrolytes is a sensible measure anyway, especially after vomiting and diarrhoea.
In life-threatening situations, plasma expanders should be given, i.e. infusions that increase the volume of the blood and remain in the circulation for a long time.
Cardiovascular symptoms may require further medical intervention: Atropine can be given if the heartbeat slows down, dopamine if the blood pressure drops.
You can find more information here:
http://www.dr-bernhard-peter.de/Apotheke/seite116.htm
Synonyms:
Lutjanus blackfordii Goode & Bean, 1878 · unaccepted
Lutjanus campechianus Poey, 1860 · unaccepted (misspelling)
Mesoprion campechanus Poey, 1860 · unaccepted
Neomaenis aya (Bloch) · uncertain
