Erythrocytes are known as red blood cells. They are called red blood cells because they contain a red pigment called hemoglobin which binds to oxygen and gives blood its red color. Erythrocytes are responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues and organs, and they also help transport carbon dioxide from the tissues back to the lungs to be exhaled. Unlike white blood cells (leucocytes) and phagocytes, erythrocytes do not play a direct role in the immune system.