Scott & Jeanette Johnson, Kwajalein Unterwater
Info
Platypodia pseudogranulosa is a crab of the family Xanthidae and is very poisonous, the ter should never be eaten!
As Xanthidae poisonous - DO NOT CONSUME (even cooked)!
Touching or even "letting it pinch" are harmless.
It is saxitoxin (STX, a neurotoxin responsible for shellfish poisoning/mytilism among other things, also found in pufferfish), probably ingested by benthic animals or symbiotic bacteria (Ng, 2008).
Thus, similar to poison dart frogs, crabs should lose their toxicity in captivity.
Since the toxin is ingested through food, not all specimens of the species need be toxic or equally toxic.
In specimens caught near Japan, very high toxin levels of 590 micrograms were detected, which would kill over 1,000 people!
1,000 times more poisonous than sarin and cyanide, repeatedly discussed as a chemical warfare agent... One of the strongest poisons ever.
No known antidote.
Saxitoxin can enter the body by inhalation (inhalation) as well as ingestion.
In the case of inhaled saxitoxin, fatal respiratory paralysis can occur within a very short time (minutes).
Non-fatal doses cause the following symptoms in humans after several hours: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Those affected may see double vision, and paralysis of the respiratory muscles is evident.
Those who survive 12 hours have a good chance of recovering completely.
Many species of the family Xanthidae can be poisonous, although they themselves have no poisonous apparatus (poisonous teeth, poisonous spines, poisonous glands in the skin), the consumption of these crustaceans can even be fatal for humans. Such animals are considered passive-poisonous.
The toxins of crabs (saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin) are produced by endobacteria and stored in the flesh of the crab, these e are highly potent and similar to the neurotoxins of puffer fish and just as deadly.
In its raw and cooked meat, consumption of the crab meat is toxic to humans!
Please be sure to clarify whether the meat of these crabs is toxic or non-toxic before eating it!
Call an emergency doctor immediately at the first signs of poisoning (e.g. breathing problems, muscle cramps)!
The good news is there’s no way you can be exposed to these toxins if you don’t try to eat these crabs – a bite or a jab isn’t going to do the job.
The bad news for those who unwittingly consume these crabs is that cooking the meat isn’t going to make the toxins any less effective.
Fortunately, toxic crabs don’t want to be eaten just as much as we shouldn’t be eating them, so they help us out with their glorious warning colours.
As Xanthidae poisonous - DO NOT CONSUME (even cooked)!
Touching or even "letting it pinch" are harmless.
It is saxitoxin (STX, a neurotoxin responsible for shellfish poisoning/mytilism among other things, also found in pufferfish), probably ingested by benthic animals or symbiotic bacteria (Ng, 2008).
Thus, similar to poison dart frogs, crabs should lose their toxicity in captivity.
Since the toxin is ingested through food, not all specimens of the species need be toxic or equally toxic.
In specimens caught near Japan, very high toxin levels of 590 micrograms were detected, which would kill over 1,000 people!
1,000 times more poisonous than sarin and cyanide, repeatedly discussed as a chemical warfare agent... One of the strongest poisons ever.
No known antidote.
Saxitoxin can enter the body by inhalation (inhalation) as well as ingestion.
In the case of inhaled saxitoxin, fatal respiratory paralysis can occur within a very short time (minutes).
Non-fatal doses cause the following symptoms in humans after several hours: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Those affected may see double vision, and paralysis of the respiratory muscles is evident.
Those who survive 12 hours have a good chance of recovering completely.
Many species of the family Xanthidae can be poisonous, although they themselves have no poisonous apparatus (poisonous teeth, poisonous spines, poisonous glands in the skin), the consumption of these crustaceans can even be fatal for humans. Such animals are considered passive-poisonous.
The toxins of crabs (saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin) are produced by endobacteria and stored in the flesh of the crab, these e are highly potent and similar to the neurotoxins of puffer fish and just as deadly.
In its raw and cooked meat, consumption of the crab meat is toxic to humans!
Please be sure to clarify whether the meat of these crabs is toxic or non-toxic before eating it!
Call an emergency doctor immediately at the first signs of poisoning (e.g. breathing problems, muscle cramps)!
The good news is there’s no way you can be exposed to these toxins if you don’t try to eat these crabs – a bite or a jab isn’t going to do the job.
The bad news for those who unwittingly consume these crabs is that cooking the meat isn’t going to make the toxins any less effective.
Fortunately, toxic crabs don’t want to be eaten just as much as we shouldn’t be eating them, so they help us out with their glorious warning colours.
