Hematology implies rapid and practical analysis to assist the diagnosis of fish homeostatic imbalance. This study determined the blood reference intervals in an important native South American catfish farmed in the Brazilian Pantanal wetland, Sorubim lima (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae), and describes the morphological and cytochemical characteristics of the cells. A total of 92 fish reared in a fish farm were examined for reference intervals 25-75% of total plasmatic protein, hemoglobin, red blood cell count (RBC), hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and total thrombocyte and leukocyte count (WBC). Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) with salivary amylase, bromophenol blue, Sudan black B and toluidine blue (metacromasy) were the cytochemical stains employed to signal glycogen, proteins, lipids and nuclei in thrombocytes and leucocytes. In the blood smears, monocytes, lymphocytes, neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils, PAS--positive granular lymphocytes (LG-PAS) and thrombocytes were observed. Siluriforme similar results were observed in neutrophils and eosinophils morphology. Compared to other pimelodidae RBC, hematocrit and MCV showed the lowest index variation. In contrast to other siluriformes fish, S. lima showed the concomitant presence of circulating eosinophils and basophils. Key words: freshwater fish, jurupensem, health, hematology, farming Hematologija podrazumijeva brze i prakticne analize koje pomazu dijagnostici poremecene homeostatske ravnoteze u riba. Ovim istrazivanjem utvrdeni su referentne vrijednosti morfoloskih i citokemijskih obiljezja krvnih stanica juznoamerickog soma Sorubim lima (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae), uzgajanog u mocvarnim podrucjima Brazila. Kod ukupno 92 farmski uzgojene ribe istrazeni su referentne vrijednosti za ukupne bjelacevine plazme, hemoglobin, broj eritrocita, hematokrit, srednji volumen eritrocita, prosjecnu koncentraciju hemoglobina te ukupni broj trombocita i leukocita. Za citokemijsko odredivanje glikogena, bjelancevina, masti jezgri u trombocitima i leukocitima upotrijebljen je Schiffov perjodni reagens (PAS) s amilazom sline, bromfenolnim plavilom, sudanskim crnilom B i toluidinskim plavilom (metakromatska zrnca). U krvnim razmascima utvrdeni su monociti, limfociti, neutrofifi li, bazofifi li, eozinofifi li, PAS pozitivni granulirani limfociti i trombociti. Ustanovljeno je da je morfologija neutrofifi la slicna onoj u riba somovki (Siluriformes). U usporedbi ostalim dugobrkim ribama (Pimelodidae), broj eritrocita, hematokrit i srednji volumen eritrocita pokazali su najnizi indeks varijacija. Za razliku od ostalih somovki, S. lima je pokazala istodobnu prisutnost cirkulirajucih eozinofifi la i bazofifi la. Kljucne rijeci: slatkovodna riba, Sorubim lima, som, zdravlje, hematologija, farm skiuzgoj