“…In Crustacea, THC, phenoloxidase activity, respiratory burst (release of superoxide anion), antioxidant enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase activity in particular), phagocytic activity and bacterial clearance efficiency are commonly considered as useful indicators of immunosurveillance status in animals [4]. In most Crustacea, THC and differential haemocytes count (DHC) vary markedly among individuals [14,31]. Results obtained in the present study showed that also in C. aestuarii a great inter-individual variability in circulating haemocyte number occurred, and the resulting mean haemocyte number was 6.4 (x10 6 )/mL haemolymph.…”