Biliverdin in the serum of ammocoetes of Lampetra lamottenii (Le Sueur)

Green sera collected from larval lampreys of Lampetra lamottenii were assayed and were shown to contain biliverdin at a concentration ranging from 141.5 to 305.0 μmol/L (mean 231.0 ± 27.4). These levels of serum biliverdin are compared with those of other lower vertebrates and with those observed during several human pathological conditions and are discussed with regard to the location of larval nematodes of Truttaedacnitis stelmioides within the bile ducts of these lampreys.