HEMATOLOGY AND ERYTHROCYTE BIOCHEMISTRY OF SPECTACLED HARE-WALLABY, LAGORCHESTES-CONSPICILLATUS (MACROPODIDAE MARSUPIALIA)

Hematology and the red cell enzymes, metabolites, and rates of lactate production were measured in a small marsupial, the spectacled hare-wa llaby Lagorchestes conspicillatus. In common with other marsupials of similar body weights, the red-cells of this wallaby were found to have low levels of ATP and higher levels of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) a nd produced no lactate when incubated with inosine. One of the five an imals examined was suffering from anemia (hematocrit of 22.0% and hemo globin concentration of 7.2 g/dl compared with the normal values of 46 .6% and 15.8 g/dl, respectively); its red cells had almost twice the c oncentrations of ATP and DPG and had significantly higher activities o f several enzymes of the glycolytic pathway.