Estimation of Some Genetic and Physiological Variables of Iraqi Desert Snake Cerastes gasperettii

Abstract

This study nominate the first blood indicate ranges for desert snake (Cerastes gasperettii) , Twenty-eight samples of the species under study were collected during field trips in the study area (Anbar desert located at western sector of Iraq about 400 kilometers west of Baghdad City).The examined hematologic values of the (Cerastes gasperettii) snake showed the highest erythrocyte ,WBC , hemoglobin ,MCH , MCHC and hematocrit value in male when a compared with females, The MCV value was found to be the highest in females and the lowest in male, karyological study revealed that the chromosome number is 2n (diploid) and the fundamental number (ZW) is 34 in male and female. DNA fragment was observed by agarose gel electrophoresis for CTNNB1 and WAC specific primers, the derived fragments ranged from approximately 600 bp, Additionally, in the CTNNB1 specific primer amplification of DNA fragments was found in male and female and ranged from approximately 900-bp DNA band.