Haematological characterization in the blackmouth catshark Galeus melastomus Rafinesque, 1810 caught in the lower Tyrrhenian Sea

The aim of this study was to investigate the haematological characteristics of blackmouth catshark. For this purpose, 20Blackmouth catshark Galeus melastomus Rafinesque, 1810(14 males and 6 females) were caught in the lower Tyrrhenian Sea area during some experimental trawling surveys from November 2016 to February 2017. Blood samples were collected from each fish to evaluate red blood cells (RBC), hematocrit (Hct), white blood cells (WBC) and thrombocytes (TC). The study of haematological parameters was performed manually and a differential count of blood cells was carried out, along with a morphological and dimension evaluation. Statistical analysis (unpaired t-test) showed significant differences (P < 0.05) in RBC values between males and females of G. melastomus. Morphological examination showed similar data with other elasmobranchs. The results of this study contribute to knowledge of the baseline of haematological parameters of the blackmouth catshark and represent the first data on a haematological evaluation in this species.