ON STUDYING THE BLOOD COMPOSITION OF VIPERS OF THE MIDDLE DON BASIN 

Frolova Ekaterina Nikolaevna, Laboratory assistant, sub-separtment of zoology and parasitology, Voronezh State University (1 Universitetskaya square, Voronezh, Russia), E-mail: katerina199128@mail.ru
Gaponov Sergey Petrovich, Doctor of biological sciences, professor, head of sub-department of zoology and parasitology, Voronezh State University (1 Universitetskaya square, Voronezh, Russia), E-mail: gaponov2003@mail.ru 

598.115.33 

DOI

10.21685/2307-9150-2019-2-18 

Background. Reptiles’ blood composition reflects their immune status and adaptive capacities, and can be used for bioindication. The authors analyzed the leukocyte composition and erythrocytes metric features in the blood of steppe viper (Vipera (Pelias) renardi Christoph, 1861) and Nikolsky’s viper (V. berus nikolskii Vedmederja et al., 1986).
Materials and methods. The material was collected in the territory of Novousmansky, Anninsky and Bobrovsky Districts of the Voronezh region. The blood samples were taken from the tail vein of the snakes; blood smears were fixed and stained using a standard technique. The leukocyte composition was completed, leukocyte indexes were counted, and a number of parameters of the red blood cells were measured.
Results. No significant intraspecific and interspecific differences of the leukocyte cells in the peripheral vipers’ blood were found. In both species of vipers there was a strong positive correlation between cells of the leukocyte series, in particularly between the basophils and heterophils in the steppe viper, and between the basophils and heterophils, azurophils and monocytes in the Nikolsky’s viper. Measuring the red blood cells reveals intraspecific and interspecific differences. In comparison with females the Nikolsky’ viper males have larger perimeter and an equivalent diameter of the erythrocytes nuclei, but smaller maximum diameter of the erythrocyte nuclei. The area and the minimal diameter of the erythrocyte nuclei of Nikolsky’s viper are larger than those of the steppe viper. In V. renardi, a strong positive correlation was observed between the erythrocyte area and the area of its nucleus, as well as between the area and perimeter of the erythrocyte nuclei.
Conclusions. The lack of reliable intraspecific and interspecific differences in leukocyte formula might be associated with a similar physiological status of these reptiles. It may also be caused by insufficient sample number. High degree of similarity of the peripheral blood indices of the blood of steppe viper and Nikolsky’ viper indicates a similarity of the whole blood system of these viper species (subspecies). A presence of a positive correlation between the cells of the leukocyte series is associated with the mechanisms of the immune system. 

Key words

leukocyte formula, erythrocytes, leukocytes, interspecific differences, intraspecific differences, metric features of erythrocytes 

 Download PDF

1. Krasil'nikov E. N. Voprosy gerpetologii [Issues of herpetology]. Leningrad: Nauka, 1973, pp. 106, 107. [In Russian]
2. Romanova E. B., Nikolaev V. Yu., Solomaykin E. I., Bakiev A. G., Gorelov R. A. Printsipy ekologii [Principles of ecology]. 2016, no. 5, pp. 30–45. [In Russian]
3. Pavlov A. V. Ekologo-morfologicheskaya kharakteristika obyknovennoy gadyuki (Vipera berus L.) v zavisimosti ot usloviy estestvennoy i iskusstvennoy sredy: avtoref. dis kand. biol. nauk [Ecological and morphological characteristics of the common adder (Vipera berus L.) depending on natural and artificial environment: author’s abstract of dissertation to apply for the degree of the candidate of biological sciences]. Kazan, 1998, 25 p. [In Russian]
4. Khayrutdinov I. Z., Sokolina F. M. Kharakteristika krovi reptiliy i ee svyaz' s usloviyami sredy obitaniya: ucheb.-metod. posobie po kursu «Gerpetologiya» [Reptiles’ blood characteristics and their connection with habitat: teaching aid to a “Herpetology” course]. Kazan, 2010, 44 p. [In Russian]
5. Lisnichaya E. N., Efimov V. G. Naukovo-tekhnichniy byulleten' NDTs biobezpeki ta ekologichnogo kontrolyu resursiv APK [Scientific and Technical Bulletin of SIC of Biosafety and Environmental Control of Agricultural Resources]. 2014, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 61–74.
6. Vorob'eva A. S. Aktual'nye problemy gerpetologii i toksikologii [Topical problems of herpetology and toxicology]. Tolyatti, 2007, iss. 10, pp. 25–30. [In Russian]
7. Romanova E. B., Solomaykin E. I., Bakiev A. G., Gorelov R. A. Sovremennaya gerpetologiya [Modern herpetology]. 2017, vol. 17, no. 1/2, pp. 51–55. [In Russian]
8. Drobot G. P., Gubaydullina L. I., Zhguleva A. L., Nasibullina A. F., Letunova N. V. Printsipy i sposoby sokhraneniya bioraznoobraziya: materialy III Vseros. nauch. konf. (g. Yoshkar-Ola, 27 yanvarya – 1 fevralya 2008 g.) [Principles and methods of biodiversity preservation: proceedings of III All-Russian scientific conference (Yoshkar-Ola, January 27th – February 1st, 2008)]. Pushchino, 2008, pp. 414, 415. [In Russian]
9. Akulenko N. M. Pratsi ukrains'kogo gerpetologichnogo tovaristva [Proceedings of the Ukrainian Herpetological Society]. 2014, no. 5, pp. 3–11.
10. Bakiev A. G., Garanin V. I., Gelashvili D. B., Gorelov R. A., Doronin I. V., Zaytseva O. V., Zinenko A. I., Klenina A. A., Makarova T. N., Malenev A. L., Pavlov A. V., Petrova I. V., Ratnikov V. Yu., Starkov V. G., Shiryaeva I. V., Yusupov R. Kh., Yakovleva T. I. Gadyuki (Reptilia: Serpentes: Vipera) Volzhskogo basseyna. Ch. 1 [Vipers (Reptilia: Serpentes: Vipera) of the Volga river basin. Part 1]. Tolyatti: Kassandra, 2015, 234 p. [In Russian]
11. Romanova E. B., Solomaykin E. I., Bakiev A. G. Nature Conservation Research. Zapovednaya nauka [Nature Conservation Research. Nature conservation science]. 2018, 3 (suppl. 1), pp. 28–35. [In Russian]
12. Romanova E. B., Solomaykin E. I., Bakiev A. G., Malenev A. L., Gorelov R. A. Izvestiya Samarskogo nauchnogo tsentra Rossiyskoy akademii nauk [Proceedings of the Samara Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences]. 2018, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 61–66. [In Russian]
13. Ivanter I. V., Korosov A. V. Vvedenie v kolichestvennuyu biologiyu: ucheb. posobie [Introduction into quantitative biology]. Petrozavodsk: Izd-vo PetrGU, 2011, 302 p. [In Russian]
14. Vorob'eva A. S., Ganshchuk S. V. Voprosy gerpetologii: materialy IV s"ezda Gerpetologicheskogo obshchestva im. A. M. Nikol'skogo (g. Kazan', 12–17 oktyabrya 2017 g.) [Issues of herpetology: proceedigns of IV congress of the Nikolsky Herpetological Society (Kazan, October 12th–17th, 2017]. Saint-Petersburg: Russkaya kollektsiya, 2017, pp. 66–69. [In Russian]
15. Romanova E. B., Solomaykin E. I., Bakiev A. G., Gorelov R. A., Klenina A. A. Izvestiya Samarskogo nauchnogo tsentra Rossiyskoy akademii nauk [Proceedings of the Samara Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences]. 2017, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 54–61. [In Russian]
16. Romanova V. B., Nikolaev V. Yu., Solomaykin E. I., Bakiev A. G., Gorelov R. A. Printsipy ekologii [Principles of ecology]. 2016, no. 5, pp. 30–45. [In Russian]