GAR ICHTHYOOTOXIN - ITS EFFECT ON NATURAL PREDATORS AND THE TOXINS EVOLUTIONARY FUNCTION

Spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) and alligator gar (L. spatula) roe were fed to green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) and channel catfish (Ict alurus punctatus) at a rate of 2 eggs/g of body weight for 14 days. Th e dosage, equivalent to the LD50 established for small mammals and cra yfish, did not result in mortality of these fish. Further, our study s howed that fish fed gar roe maintained or gained weight, which leads t o the conclusion that these fish do not reject the gar roe as a food s ource. Consumption of gar roe by potential natural predators, such as L. cyanellus and I. punctatus, establishes the basis for the argument that gar roe toxin has not been evolutionarily selected to serve as a protective mechanism. Gar roe may simply be toxic to small mammals and crayfish by chance.