A large food fish found in Caribbean and tropical Atlantic waters that can accumulate ciguatoxin and cause food poisoning.
From Spanish/Caribbean indigenous word cigua. The exact etymology is uncertain, possibly from Arawakan or Taíno origin, reflecting the fish's native range and indigenous discovery.
The cigua fish doesn't make its own poison—it accumulates ciguatoxin from algae it eats, making it a biological warning system that shows us which tropical reefs are getting too warm and toxic.
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