HEMATOLOGICAL-CHANGES IN THE GARDEN LIZARD, CALOTES-NEMORICOLA DUE TOTHE DEFENSIVE SECRETION OF THE GRASSHOPPER, POECILOCERUS-PICTUS

Defensive secretion of the Grasshopper, Poecilocerus pictus produced s ignificant changes in the blood components of the predator lizard, C. nemoricola. The red blood cell (RBC) count, haemoglobin (Hb) concentra tion, packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), me an corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and white blood cell ( WBC) count decreased greatly, whereas mean corpuscular volume (MCV) sh owed significant increase following the administration of lethal dose of defensive secretion. These changes however were found to be reversi ble toward control levels in the lizards injected with sublethal dose. Disrupted erythropoeitic activity in lizards by the cardenolides in t he defensive secretion was suggested.