SHERBURNE: BLOOD CELL COUNTS OF HERRING 



length from 116 to 304 mm in my study, 

 whereas Boyar reported immature erythrocytes 

 and white cells combined constituted less than 

 3% of the total blood cells in the 85 wild herring 

 ranging in length from 75 to 300 mm in his 

 study. 



Boyar (1962) reported neutrophils were much 

 larger than other white cell types, with an aver- 

 age area twice that of the second largest cells, 

 the eosinophils. However, in the herring I exam- 

 ined, the average area of neutrophils was larger 

 than thrombocytes and lymphocytes, but smaller 

 than basophils and eosinophils. The neutrophils 

 in Boyar's line drawings of blood cell types have 

 the appearance of cells that have been mechani- 

 cally distorted. This flattening and spreading out 

 would cause an increase in cell dimensions. 



The average cell measurements in my studies 

 are larger than those reported by Boyar, except 

 in the case of neutrophils. Naumov (1959) 

 reported ranges but not mean dimensions of 

 leukocytes. My size range for neutrophils was 

 similar to Naumov's, while the maximum sizes 

 of individual lymphocytes and eosinophils were 

 larger than reported by Naumov. 



The total 8 July sample consisted of 76 herring. 

 Five contained intracytoplasmic inclusions asso- 

 ciated with erythrocytic degeneration (Sher- 

 burne, 1973). One herring in the total March 

 wild sample, two herring in the total June cap- 

 tive sample, and two herring in the total 16 July 

 wild sample contained erythrocytic inclusions. 

 Though their white cell differentials did not 

 differ markedly from other herring in their 

 respective samples, the ten herring with inclu- 

 sions are not included in this report. 



Basophils were scarce and were not found in 

 the leukocyte counts of 157 of the 200 herring 

 in my study. Only 7 herring in my study had 

 more than 5% basophils in their blood differen- 

 tials. In contrast, Boyar (1962) reported baso- 

 phils were the most abundant leukocyte in her- 

 ring from brit 75 mm in length to sexually 

 mature herring up to 300 mm. He reported 

 basophils averaged 31% of the less than 3% 

 cells other than mature erythrocytes (47% of 

 the leukocytes) present in herring ranging in 

 length from 101 to 200 mm, the predominant 

 sizes of herring included in my study. Boyar 

 also reported that basophils averaged from 18% 



to 56% of the leukocyte cell types in other size 

 ranges of herring included in my study. 



I have used the same staining method 

 (Giemsa) used by Boyar and found no differ- 

 ences in the relative numbers of basophils com- 

 pared with those I found using Wright's or 

 Wright-Giemsa stains. Romer (1949) reported 

 basophils are seldom found in fishes. Naumov 

 (1959) found no basophils in sexually mature 

 Murmansk (Atlantic) herring, Clupea harengus 

 harengus, collected in 1938-39 from the Barents 

 Sea and 1947 from the Greenland Sea. Saunders 

 (1968a) found no basophils in blood smears of 

 49 species of teleost fishes from the Red Sea, 

 and Saunders (1966) found basophils in the cir- 

 culating blood of only 5 species out of 116 

 species of marine teleosts examined off Puerto 

 Rico. The differences between Boyar's findings 

 and my own may reflect environmental varia- 

 tions between the time of his study and my own. 

 A more likely explanation is that Boyar confused 

 certain basophilic staining immature erythro- 

 cytes with basophils. Small basophils are similar 

 in size to basophilic staining immature erythro- 

 cytes, but in my slides these cell types were 

 readily distinguished. 



Thrombocytes were the most common leuko- 

 cyte in my study; they constituted an average of 

 70% of the white cells in captive herring and 54% 

 in wild herring. Boyar (1962) reported thrombo- 

 cytes (spindle cells) made up to 7% of the less 

 than 3% cells other than mature erythrocytes 

 present in his study. Saunders (1966, 1968a) 

 reported thrombocytes were the most common 

 leukocyte in the circulating blood of 116 species 

 of marine teleosts from Puerto Rico and 49 

 species of teleost fishes from the Red Sea. 



Boyar (1962) reported round, granular ghost 

 cells averaged from 17 to 50% of the less than 

 3% cells other than mature erythrocytes present 

 in his study. I also found round, anucleated 

 cells occasionally in apparently normal herring, 

 but most cells appeared finely vacuolated. 

 Several blood smears from herring with intra- 

 cytoplasmic inclusions associated with erythro- 

 cytic degeneration (Sherburne, 1973) had up to 

 50% round, anucleated cells present in the blood 

 films. The anucleated cells appeared pale red 

 with Wright's stain, were similar in size, and 

 ranged from 9.4 x 9.4)U to 10.9 x 10.9jLt. Some 



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