Rui Pedro Vieira 1 & João Pedro Barreiros 1,2

1. BB 56 Preliminary study on the glandular venom tissue extracted from a Scorpaenidae of the Azores, NE Atlantic, Portugal. Rui Pedro Vieira1& João Pedro Barreiros1,2 1 – Departamento de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade dos Açores, 9701-851 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal. 2 – Centro do IMAR – Instituto do Mar da Universidade dos Açores, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas, 9901- 862, Horta, Portugal. Introduction: The occurrence of accidents with marine animals is poorly reported by science, and those most of the wide variety of toxins are unknown or rarely studied (Haddad & Barreiros, 2007). In this work, we describe the relationship between biometric data and the quantity of glandular tissue that discharges the venom extracted from the dorsal fin spines of a scorpionfish species collected off the coast of the Azores archipelago (NE Atlantic). The Order Scorpaeniformes includes 25 families, 266 genera and 1271 species present in the marine and freshwater environment. Helicolenus dactylopterus dactylopterusbelongs to Scorpaenidae, the most venomous fishes in the Atlantic Ocean. The venom apparatus of scorpion fishes consists in 12 dorsal, 2 pelvic and 3 anal fin spines with venom glands in the anterior portion without an excretory duct (Carrijoet al., 2005). Accidents involving humans have already been reported, mainly affecting fishermen, divers and swimmers. Although these reports are published in several papers, particularly from the SW Atlantic, concerning lionfishes as well as stonefishes, there is a lack of information of poisons from Atlantic species. Symptoms include intense pain, fever, tachycardia, hypotension, edema, and others. There are no known records of deaths caused by this species. The poisons contain a mixture of proteins, usually extremely heat-labile, causing similar symptoms in both human and animal, with striking consequences on cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems (Haddad et al.,2003). Material and Methods: H. d. dactylopterus was collected off the Azorean coast and frozen before each extraction. Four or five specimens were used for each extraction. We recorded the total length (TL), standard length (ST), height (H) and weight (W) of individuals. All specimens were measured to the nearest 0.1 cm and 0.1 g. The glandular tissue was collected from six or seven dorsal fin spines, weighed (nearest 0.001 g) and placed in tubes with 1 ml of PBS and conserved at 4ºC for posterior use. • Results and Discussion: • The data now present suggest a positive albeit non-significant correlation (P > 0.005) (r = 0.4068; p value = 0.1050) between the size of H. d. dactylopterus and the quantity and density of toxins produced. • The amount of tissue collected ranged between 0.0944 g and 0.2870 g, but these data should be considered as seasonal values. • Parameters for weight and length relationships suggests a positive and significant correlation (P < 0.05) (r = 0.9892, p value = 5.92E-14). This value is consistent with data reported by other authors for the same specie (Rosa et al., 2006). Fig. 1 - Helicolenus dactylopterus dactylopterus (Boca-negra or Cantarilho). A common species in Azorean waters. • Conclusions: • H. d. dactylopterus have a high commercial value. • Fishermen constitute the major risk group. • Most accidents occur in poor and/or negligent handling of trapped/hooked animals. • The intensity of symptom’s effects is variable depending on the size of the fish and the quantity of poison injected. • It is important evaluate its biochemical composition and the potential use of the toxins in pharmacology and medicine, particularly in anaesthesiology and immunology. Fig. 3 – Venomous gland. Fig. 2 – Linear regression between TL and the quantity of glandular venom tissue for H. d. dactylopterus (n = 17; r = 0.4068; p value = 0.1050). References: Carrijo, L. C., Andrich, F., de Lima, M. E., Cordeiro, M. N., Richardson, M., Figueiredo, S. G., 2005. Biological properties of the venom from the scorpionfish (Scorpaena plumieri) and purification of a gelatinolytic protease. Toxicon 45, 843-850. Haddad Jr., V., Martins, I., Makyama, H.,2003. Injuries caused by scorpionfishes (Scorpaena plumieriBloch, 1789 and Scorpaena brasiliensisCuvier, 1829) in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (Brazilian coast): epidemiologic, clinc and therapeutic aspects of 23 stings in humans. Toxicon 42, 79-83. Haddad Jr., V., Barreiros, J. P., 2007. AnimaisMarinhos dos Açores – Perigosos e Venenosos (Dangerous Azorean Marine Animals – A Field Guide), BLU Edições, Terceira Island, Azores, pp. 5-6. Haddad Jr., V., 2008. AnimaisAquáticosPotencialmentePerigosos do Brasil – GuiaMédico e Biológico (Potentially Dangerous Aquatic Animals of Brazil - Medical and Biological Guide), Editora Roca, São Paulo, pp. 112-126. Rosa. A., Menezes, G., Melo, O., Pinho, M. R., 2006. Length-weight relationships for 33 demersal fish species from Azores archipelago. Fisheries Research 80, 329-332. Acknowledgment: The authors are grateful to Mr. AntónioSilveirafor his contribution in collecting biological material and to the Instrumental Analysis Laboratory team (CITA-A) of University of Azores. RPV was supported by a ESTAGIAR L Programme Grant from the Direcção Regional do Trabalho e QualificaçãoProfissional.