2004

Asiatic Herpetological ResearchVol. 10, pp. 217-223

Morphological Observations on the Erythrocyte and Erythrocyte
Size of Some Gecko Species, Turkey
MURAT SEVINÇ*, SMAIL HAKK1 U URTA , HIKMET SAMI Y1LD1R1MHAN
Uludag University, Science and Art Faculty, Department of Biology, Bursa, Turkey* To whom correspondence should be addressed; E-mail: smurat@uludag.edu.tr
Abstract. - In this study, erythrocyte size and morphology of the four gecko species [Asaccus elisae, Hemidactylus
turcicus, Cyrtopodion scaber and C. heterocercus mardinensis (Gekkonidae)] from Turkey were examined. Forty-twospecimens were used in this study, of which twelve were A. elisae, eight were H. turcicus, twelve were C. scaber, andten were C. h. mardinensis. Erythrocyte morphology of these examined species was described using Wright’s technique. The sizes of erythrocytes and their nuclei were measured using an ocular micrometer at a magnification of1600x. The results of this study were compared with previous works on the other reptile species. The longest erythrocytes were found in H. turcicus and the shortest in A. elisae. In terms of the studied species, the nucleus and erythrocyte sizes were found to be correlated (Gekkonidae: r = 0.39; P < 0.001).
Key words. - Gekkota, Turkey, erythrocyte.

Introduction
Initial studies on the blood of reptiles described thestructures, often comparing them with those of the othervertebrates. Literature on the haematology of reptilian
blood are based on a few studies where most were concerned with especially European species (Saint Girons,1970).
Various authors have focused on the different circulating blood cell types of different reptiles (Taylor andKaplan, 1961; Heady and Rogers, 1963; Hartman andLessler, 1964; Szarski and Czopek, 1966; Duguy, 1970;
Saint Girons, 1970; Mateo et al., 1984; Canfield andShea, 1988; Cannon et al., 1996; Alleman et al., 1999;
Sevinç et al., 2000; Atatür et al., 2001; Sevinc and U urta , 2001; U. urta et al., 2003). Some authors havestudied seasonal (Hutton, 1960; Cline and Waldman,1962; Haggag et al., 1966) or sexual (Altland andThompson, 1958) variations in the number of blood
cells of different reptile species. In addition, researchers
have studied the number of blood cells of different reptiles (Baker and Kline, 1932; Charipper and Davis,1932; Altland and Thompson, 1958; Hutton, 1961;
Hutchinson and Szarski, 1965; Engbretson andHutchinson, 1976; Mateo et al., 1984). Furthermore,authors have also studied haemoglobin and hematocrit
content of blood and hematopoiesis of different reptiles(Altland and Thompson, 1958; Hutton, 1961; Goin andJackson, 1965; Engbretson and Hutchinson, 1976;
Newlin and Ballinger, 1976; Mateo et al., 1984; Allemanet al., 1999).
In Turkey, hematological studies have generally
been conducted on humans and some economicallyimportant animals. However, there are few hematologi© 2004 by Asiatic Herpetological Researchcal studies of the reptiles living in this country (Sevinçet al., 2000; Atatür et al., 2001; Sevinç and U urta ,2001; U urta et al., 2003).
In the current study, our aim was to describe andmeasure erythrocytes of Asaccus elisae (Werner, 1895),Hemidactylus turcicus (Linnaeus, 1758), Cyrtopodion
scaber (Heyden, 1827) and C. heterocercus mardinensis(Mertens, 1924) which live in Turkey. This study is thefirst of its kind on Turkish species.

Materials and Methods
In this study, twelve (6 males, 6 females) individuals of
Asaccus elisae, eight (4 males, 4 females) of
Hemidactylus turcicus, twelve (8 males, 4 females) ofCyrtopodion scaber and ten (4 males, 6 females) of C.
heterocercus mardinensis (Gekkonidae) were examined.
Twenty-two specimens examined were male and twenty
were female.
The study was performed on 01-05 June 2000. H.
turcicus species were collected from Hatay (36° 34' N,36° 09' E) and the other specimens were from anl1urfa(36° 53' N, 39° 02' E) (Fig. 1; Table 1). Blood wasobtained by cutting the tail (Duguy, 1974). Immediately
after blood was obtained in heparinized capillary tubes,
blood smears were prepared. Three or five blood smears
were prepared per individual. The smears were air-driedand stained with Wright’s stain (Hartman and Lessler,1964). Twelve drops of Wright’s stain were dropped on
the slides and allowed to remain on the slide one andhalf minutes before rinsing with phosphate buffer (pH6.5). The slides were allowed to stand for ten minutes atroom temperature, were washed with distilled water,and allowed to dry.

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Figure 1. Collection localities.

On each slide, fifty mature erythrocytes and their
nuclei were measured by means of an ocular micrometerat a magnification of 1600x. In this way fifty erythrocyte
sizes were calculated. Erythrocyte and nucleus measurements of examined species are given in tables 2-5.
Erythrocyte and nucleus sizes were, respectively, calculated according to the formulas [(EL x EW x pi) / 4] and[(NL x NW x pi) / 4]; where EL is the erythrocyte length,
EW is the erythrocyte width, NL is the nucleus lengthand NW is the nucleus width.

Results
Erythrocytes, or red blood cells, of geckos are nucleated, oval cells. Their nuclei are also oval and centrallylocated, like those of the other reptiles. The cytoplasm ofmature erythrocytes appeared both light, dark pink, andhomogeneous under Wright’s stain. Nuclei of matureerythrocytes are chromophilic (Figs. 2-5).
Because there were no significant differencesbetween the erythrocyte sizes of female and male geckos, data from the females and males of individual
species were combined.
The longest erythrocytes were found in Hemidactylus turcicus. The mean length of mature erythro-cyte of H. turcicus was 16.98 mm (± 1.26 standard deviations, with a range of 14.64-19.52 mm) (Table 2; Fig.
6) and also erythrocyte size and length/width ratios of H.
turcicus are given in table 2.
The shortest erythrocytes were found in Asaccus
elisae. The mean length of mature erythrocytes of A.
elisae was 14.96 mm (± 0.79 standard deviations, with arange of 13.42-17.08 mm) (Table 3; Fig. 6). Erythrocyte
size and length/width ratios of A. elisae are given intable 3.
The widest erythrocytes were found in Cyrtopodion
scaber. The mean width of mature erythrocytes of C.
scaber was 10.26 mm (± 0.78 standard deviations, witha range of 8.54-12.20 mm) (Table 4; Fig. 7). Erythrocyte
size and length/width ratios of C. scaber are given intable 4.
The narrowest erythrocytes were found in
Cyrtopodion heterocercus mardinensis. The mean widthof mature erythrocyte of C. h. mardinensis was 9.18 mm(± 0.70 standard deviations, with a range of 6.71-10.98mm) (Table 5; Fig. 7) and also erythrocyte size andlength/width ratios of C. h. mardinensis are given intable 5.
The longest nuclei were found in Cyrtopodion
scaber. The mean length of mature nuclei of C. scaber

Table 1. Materials list. NM: number of males; NF: number of females; CD: collection date; CL: collection locality. All
specimens are from the Zoology Museum in Uludag UniversityScience and Art Faculty, Department of Biology.
SpeciesAsaccus elisae
Hemidactylus turcicus
Cyrtopodion scaber
C. heterocercus mardinensis

NM6484NF
6446CD
1-3 June
4-5 June
1-3 June
1-3 June

CL
Sanliurfa
Hatay
Sanliurfa
Sanliurfa

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Asiatic Herpetological ResearchVol. 10, p. 219

Figure 2. Erythrocyte and nucleus sizes of Hemidactylus
turcicus.

Figure 3. Erythrocyte and nucleus sizes of Asaccus
elisae.

Figure 4. Erythrocyte and nucleus sizes of Cyrtopodion
scaber.

Figure 5. Erythrocyte and nucleus of Cyrtopodion heterocercus mardinensis.

was 6.81 mm (± 0.60 standard deviations, with a rangeof 5.49-8.54 mm) (Table 4; Fig. 6). Nucleus size andlength/width ratios of C. scaber are given in table 4.
The shortest nuclei were found in Asaccus elisae.
The mean length of mature nuclei of A. elisae was 6.06mm (± 0.58 standard deviations, with a range of 4.887.32 mm) (Table 3; Fig. 6). Nucleus size andlength/width ratios of A. elisae are given in table 3.
The widest nuclei were found in Cyrtopodion heterocercus mardinensis. The mean width of mature nucleiof C. h. mardinensis was 3.78 mm (± 0.44 standard deviations, with a range of 3.05-4.88 mm) (Table 5; Fig. 7).
Nucleus size and length/width ratios of C. h. mardinensis are given in table 5.
The narrowest nuclei were found in Hemidactylus
turcicus. The mean width of mature nuclei of H. turcicus
was 3.53 mm (± 0.42 standard deviations, with a rangeof 3.05-4.27 mm) (Table 2; Fig. 7). Nucleus size andlength/width ratios of H. turcicus are given in table 2.

and Lessler, 1964; Szarski and Czopek, 1966; SaintGirons, 1970; Sevinç et al., 2000; Sevinç and U. urta ,2001; Atatür et al., 2001; U urta et al., 2003) reported
that the sizes of erythrocytes vary in members of thefour orders of reptiles.
Within the class Reptilia, the largest erythrocytes
are seen in Sphenodon punctatus, turtles, and crocodilians (Hartman and Lessler, 1964; Saint Girons, 1970;
Alleman et al., 1984).
Cryptodiran turtles have the largest erythrocytes
from all previously studied reptiles (Saint Girons, 1970).
The shortest erythrocytes are found in the Lacertidae
family (Hartman and Lessler, 1964; Saint Girons, 1970;
Sevinç et al., 2000; Sevinç and U urta , 2001).
Saint Girons (1970) reported erythrocytes andnuclei measurements of some gecko species. In
Coleonyx variegatus, erythrocyte length is 18.9 µm andwidth is 9.6 µm; nucleus length is 7.3 µm and width is3.7 µm. In Gehyra variegata, erythrocyte length is 17.2µm and width is 11.5 µm; nucleus length is 6.3 µm andwidth is 3.8 µm. In Heteronota binoei, erythrocyte
length is 21.4 µm and width is 10.7 µm; nucleus lengthis 8.1 µm and width is 3.4 µm.

Discussion
Investigations carried out by various authors (HartmanVol. 10, p. 220

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2004

Table 2. Erythrocyte dimensions of Hemidactylus turcicus with standard deviations. EL: erythrocyte length; EW: erythrocyte width; ES: erythrocyte size; NL: nucleus length; NW: nucleus width; NS: nucleus size.

Maximum
Minimum
Mean

Maximum
Minimum
Mean

EL (µm)EW (µm)

EL/EW (µm)

ES (µm)NS/ES (µm)

19.52 ± 1.26
14.64 ± 1.26
16.98 ± 1.26

11.59 ± 0.67
7.93 ± 0.67
9.69 ± 0.67

2.07 ± 0.14
1.42 ± 0.14
1.76 ± 0.14

166.50 ± 15.45
94.93 ± 15.45
129.50 ± 15.45

0.20 ± 0.02
0.09 ± 0.02
0.14 ± 0.02

NL (µm)NW (µm)NL/NW (µm)

NS (µm)7.93 ± 0.59
4.88 ± 0.59
6.41 ± 0.59

4.27 ± 0.42
3.05 ± 0.42
3.53 ± 0.42

2.40 ± 0.22
1.43 ± 0.22
1.83 ± 0.22

26.58 ± 3.17
11.68± 3.17
17.84± 3.17

Table 3. Erythrocyte dimensions of Asaccus elisae with standard deviations. EL: erythrocyte length; EW: erythrocytewidth; ES: erythrocyte size; NL: nucleus length; NW: nucleus width; NS: nucleus size.

Maximum
Minimum
Mean

Maximum
Minimum
Mean

EL (µm)EW (µm)

EL/EW (µm)

ES (µm)NS/ES (µm)

17.08 ± 0.79
13.42 ± 0.79
14.96 ± 0.79

10.98 ± 0.66
7.32 ± 0.66
9.26 ± 0.66

2.08 ± 0.14
1.29 ± 0.14
1.62 ± 0.14

142.00 ± 10.38
83.54 ± 10.38
108.80 ± 10.38

0.27 ± 0.03
0.11 ± 0.030.16 ± 0.03

NL (µm)NW (µm)NL/NW (µm)

NS (µm)7.32 ± 0.58
4.88 ± 0.58
6.06 ± 0.58

4.88 ± 0.41
3.05 ± 0.41
3.62 ± 0.41

2.40 ± 0.25
1.14 ± 0.25
1.69 ± 0.25

23.37 ± 2.47
11.68 ± 2.47
17.24 ± 2.47

Table 4. Erythrocyte dimensions of Cyrtopodion scaber with standard deviations. EL: erythrocyte length; EW: erythrocyte width; ES: erythrocyte size; NL: nucleus length; NW: nucleus width; NS: nucleus size.

Maximum
Minimum
Mean

Maximum
Minimum
MeanEL (µm)

EW (µm)

EL/EW (µm)

ES (µm)NS/ES (µm)

18.30 ± 0.88
14.64 ± 0.88
16.20 ± 0.88

12.20 ± 0.78
8.54 ± 0.78
10.26 ± 0.78

1.93 ± 0.13
1.33 ± 0.78
1.59 ± 0.78

175.30 ± 13.93
102.20 ± 13.93
130.60 ± 13.93

0.23 ± 0.02
0.10 ± 0.02
0.15 ± 0.02

NL (µm)NW (µm)NL/NW (µm)

NS (µm)8.54 ± 0.60
5.49 ± 0.60
6.81 ± 0.60

4.88 ± 0.47
2.44 ± 0.47
3.65 ± 0.47

2.75 ± 0.26
1.38 ± 0.26
1.89 ± 0.26

30.38 ± 3.42
12.85 ± 3.42
19.53 ± 3.42

Table 5. Erythrocyte dimensions of Cyrtopodion heterocercus mardinensis with standard deviations. EL: erythrocyte
length; EW: erythrocyte width; ES: erythrocyte size; NL: nucleus length; NW: nucleus width; NS: nucleus size.

Maximum
Minimum
Mean

Maximum
Minimum
Mean

EL (µm)EW (µm)

EL/EW (µm)

ES (µm)NS/ES (µm)

17.69 ± 0.85
14.03 ± 0.85
15.65 ± 0.85

10.98 ± 0.70
6.71 ± 0.70
9.18 ± 0.70

2.27 ± 0.16
1.39 ± 0.16
1.71 ± 0.16

147.20 ± 11.00
80.33 ± 11.00
112.80 ± 11.00

0.28 ± 0.03
0.12 ± 0.03
0.17 ± 0.03

NL (µm)NW (µm)NL/NW (µm)

NS (µm)7.93 ± 0.62
5.49 ± 0.62
6.56 ± 0.62

4.88 ± 0.44
3.05 ± 0.44
3.78 ± 0.44

2.40 ± 0.25
1.13 ± 0.25
1.76 ± 0.25

30.38 ± 3.10
13.14 ± 3.10
19.49 ± 3.10

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Asiatic Herpetological ResearchVol. 10, p. 221

Figure 6. Erythrocyte and nucleus lengths of examined specimens.

Cannon et al. (1996) reported the leukocyte morphology and size of the roughtail gecko Cyrtopodion
scabrum. However, they did not report any informationon the erythrocyte of this species.
In reptiles, the numbers of erythrocytes are smaller
than in mammals or birds. Lizards have more erythrocytes than snakes, and turtles have the fewest. Since
lizards have the smallest erythrocytes of all reptiles, andturtles the largest, there may be an inverse correlation
between the number of erythrocytes and their size; thishypothesis was advanced by Ryerson (1949) (Duguy,1970).
In this study, the longest erythrocytes were found inH. turcicus, the shortest in A. elisae, the largest in C.
scaber and the narrowest in C. heterocercus mardinensis. The longest nuclei were found in C. scaber, theshortest A. elisae, the largest in C. heterocercus mardinensis and the narrowest in H. turcicus (Tables 2-5; Figs.
6,7).

In the present study, erythrocyte morphology andthe results of erythrocytes and nuclei sizes (Tables 2-5;Figs. 6,7) are agreement with the other results carriedout by (Saint Girons, 1970).

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank to MSc. student
Abdülmüttalip Akkaya for helping during studies.

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