Immune parameters of two species of lizards (Phymaturus) endemic from Patagonia, Argentina

AGUILAR, R.; D´AMICO, V.; PALACIOS, M. G.

Victoria

Congreso; Annual Meeting of the Australian Society of Herpethologists; 2015

Australian Society of Herpethologists

The State Reserve La Payunia is aregion of northern Patagonia (Argentina) exposed to increased activity of ecotourism,habitat loss and degradation. These factors associated with climate global change, threatentwo endemic sympatric species of lizards, Phymaturus roigorum (PR) and Phymaturus payuniae(PP) of which little is known, particularly because of the remote volcanic areas theyinhabit. Therefore, it is important to extend the knowledge about their eco-physiology andhabitat use to define habitat conservation strategies. Thermoregulation is the processupon which other physiological mechanisms, such as immune response (primary defenceagainst pathogens) rely for proper function. In this work,  cellular immune parametersobtained for the gender Phymaturus are presented. We noosed 7 individuals of PR and 5 PP. Bloodsamples were extracted from each individual to measure bacterial agglutination and bloodsmears were prepared for obtaining leukocyte profile under light microscope. Both speciesshowed low bacterial agglutination and leukocyte values were similar to those described forother species of lizards, with predominant lymphocytes and heterophils. Eosinophils werehigher in PP, which could eventually indicate parasitic infections. In PP a trend towardincreased activity of phagocytic cells (higher values of basophils, heterophils andeosinophils) and increased bacterial agglutination was observed. Whilst it is necessary toincrease the sample size to extend the range of reference, these data constitute the first report of theinnate immune response for these two threatened species endemic to that locality of theSouth American cold desert in Patagonia.