A mixture of gonyautoxins 2 and 3 (GTX_{2, 3}) in 3% NaCl solution was injected into the right chela of live specimens of the xanthid crab Atergatis floridus which were maintained in an aquarium at 27°C, The specimens were then examined for the contents of paralytic shellfish toxins in the chela and viscera 0.5-48h after injection by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a fluorometric detector. It was shown that most of the GTX_{2, 3} administered were transported from the chela to viscera within 12h after injection, where they were converted into saxitoxin (STX). A portion of STX in the viscera seemed to return to the chela thereafter.
On the other hand, the same species of crab kept in the aquarium was fed on a feed containing a mixture of gonyautoxins 1, 2, 3, and 4 (GTX_1-4) once a day for 3-12 days. GTX_1-4 were hardly detectable in the chela and viscera of toxin-fed crab specimens, whereas these tissues accumulated significant amounts of neosaxitoxin and STX. The accumulation of toxins during the feeding period was calculated to be 20-30%.