Hematology and plasma chemistry reference intervals for wild population of Alburnus chalcoides (Guldenstadt, 1772): Influence of sex, habitat and seasonal variation

The study was aimed to establish reference interval for some blood biochemical (sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) and hematological (total count of white blood cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and eosinophils) indices in both sexes of Alburnus chalcoides in response to its habitats with different physiochemical conditions and to seasonal variation. Fish samples were collected from its seasonal habitats, including river, estuary, and Caspian Sea. The mean concentration of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium in plasma of fish were 134.69±13.61 (mmol/l), 3.26±0.83 (mmol/l), 11.65±1.82 (mg/dl) and 2.13±1.12 (mmol/l), respectively. These electrolytes demonstrated significant differences between the male and female as well as between the fish collected from different habitats. Total WBCs count was 6045.35±960.25 (per mm³) and the mean percentage of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophils were 26.55±3.37%, 67.74±3.72%, 3.04±0.70% and 0.98±0.04%, respectively. WBCs generally showed considerable differences between male and female. Furthermore, a higher percentage of monocytes, neutrophils and eosinophils were observed in the fish collected from river and estuary during spring and summer. The study demonstrated that differences in sex, habitat and seasonal variation cause variation in hematology and plasma chemistry reference intervals for wild population of A. chalcoides when migrating between its natural habitats.