Hematological and histological overview of captive-bred female doublespotted queenfish Scomberoides lysan (Forsskål, 1775)

Erythrocyte abnormality Health monitoring Histopathology Captive-bred female

Authors

  • Witchaya Tongtako Faculty of Veterinary Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand.
  • Manoch Khumjaruan Department of Aquaculture and Fishery Products, Faculty of Science and Fisheries Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya, Trang 92150, Thailand.
  • Gen Keneko Colleage of Natural and Applied Science, University of Houston-Victoria, Victoria, Texas 77901, USA.
  • Natthawut Charoenphon Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok 65000, Thailand.
  • Wikit Phinrub Department of Aquaculture and Fishery Products, Faculty of Science and Fisheries Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya, Trang 92150, Thailand.
  • Peerapon Sornying Faculty of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand.
  • Narit Thaochan Agricultural Innovation and Management Division (Pest Management), Faculty of Natural Resources, Prince of Songkla University, 90110, Thailand.
  • Sinlapachai Senarat
    sinlapachai.s@psu.ac.th
    Division of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand.
August 21, 2025

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Health monitoring and assessment are required to support the improvement of maintenance efficiency of captive fish, but such information is lacking for the doublespotted queenfish Scomberoides lysan (Forsskål, 1775), a new candidate species for aquaculture in Thailand. The present study aimed to examine the morphological characteristics of erythrocytes and histopathological alterations in S. lysan females for the development of a health monitoring system. Female fish were randomly collected from a pond culture (n = 6, which was 34.5±0.9 cm in total length). Blood slides for hematological observations were prepared using the Wright-Giemsa stain method, while histological observations were made of tissues from the gills, kidneys, livers, and gonads. Blood smear test results showed that oval, mature erythrocytes were the most abundant cell type. Some erythrocytes exhibited nuclear morphological abnormalities, including kidney-shaped, polymorphic, and/or notched nuclei. The prevalence of such nuclei was only approximately 2%. The secondary lamellae of the gills displayed disorganization and aneurysms. Liver tissues displayed vacuolar degeneration of hepatocytes and blood congestion. Kidney tissues displayed tubular disorganization and renal degeneration. Melanomacrophage centers were present in large numbers in both liver and kidney tissues. Our analyses confirmed that the highest histological alteration index (HAI) calculated for liver tissue was a moderate alteration. The observations of S. lysan in captivity elucidated the cellular structure of this fish; the health of this fish might be reduced in captivity.