SERIAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT WITH STANDARDIZED EXTERNAL SCORING AND HEMOLYMPH EVALUATION IN THE AMERICAN HORSESHOE CRAB (LIMULUS POLYPHEMUS)

Serial health assessment of a managed population of American horseshoe crabs (HSC; <i>Limulus polyphemus</i>) was performed. Twenty HSC were examined once a month for 7 mon; this included a physical exam with a standardized scoring sheet, HR, morphometrics, and hemolymph evaluation with hemocyte count, copper concentration, and biochemistry panel. The HSC in this population had varying levels of external lesions at enrollment. All HSC were clinically and behaviorally stable over the study period, with no apparent differences in evaluated parameters in relation to degree of external lesions. Although the standardized scoring sheet was found to be helpful to complete the evaluation, the qualitative criteria potentially masks clinically important gradations in some parameters. HR ranged from 4 to 60 bpm, with high intra- and interindividual variability. Increased prosomal widths (PW) were found to be correlated with lower HR. Plots of weight (W) in grams divided by PW in centimeters are roughly linear, and W:PW shows promise as a method of body condition evaluation in a hard-shelled animal. Serial collection of ∼2 ml of hemolymph led to no appreciable clinical decline in any animal. Total protein levels were stable and higher than previously reported for HSC in managed care. Glucose values were stable throughout the study period, which is interpreted as reflecting adequate nutritional intake in the study animals. Further studies are needed to determine the clinical utility of standardized vertebrate biochemistry panels in invertebrate species.