AN ELECTRONIC METHOD FOR COUNTING LOBSTER (HOMARUS AMERICANUS MILNE EDWARDS) HEMOCYTES AND THE INFLUENCE OF DIET ON HEMOCYTE NUMBERS AND HEMOLYMPH PROTEINS

Abstract

A salt solution plus Tween 80 maintained at pH 7.6 was shown to be capable of preserving lobster hemolymph cells (hemocytes) and plasma and to have a conductivity suitable for the application of an electronic particle counter to the counting of hemocytes. A comparison of the visual and electronic counting methods showed excellent agreement. The correlation coefficient between hemocyte counts obtained by the two methods was 0.985. The electronic counting method was found to be more precise, accurate, and rapid than the visual method. Application of the counting method to lobsters held captive showed that the hemocyte levels as well as the hemolymph protein levels were intimately related to diet and, to a lesser degree, temperature. The use of these measurements as indices of the nutritional adequacy of a diet appears to be warranted. Quantitative electrophoretic measurements showed that the percentage reduction in plasma proteins was approximately equal for the three major components which together represent approximately 98% of the total hemolymph proteins.