First Data on Tetrodotoxins in Cephalothrix Mokievskii (palaeonemertea, Nemertea) and Possible Involvement OF POISONOUS Nemerteans in Toxification of Marine Bioresources

We for the first time have recorded the presence of TTX and 11 of its analogues (TTXs) and determined the profile of these toxins by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) in Cephalothrix mokievskii, collected off the coast of Sakhalin Island and also revealed differences in the TTXs profile between C. mokievskii and sibling Cephalothrix cf, simula. We discuss the features of the TTXs profile in C. mokievskii, geographical distribution of TTX-containing nemerteans and its possible implication for toxification of marine bioresources.