Journal of Morphological Sciences
http://www.jms.periodikos.com.br/article/587cb4517f8c9d0d058b45df
Journal of Morphological Sciences
Original Article

DICHOTOMIC SPERMIOGENESIS IN Euptoieta hegesia (LEPIDOPTERA: NYMPHALIDAE)

Karina Mancini; Heidi Dolder

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Abstract

Butterflies and moths produce enucleate (apyrene) and nucleate (eupyrene) spermatozoa. However, most studies of lepidopteran spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis have used only larvae and pupae. In this work, we used light and transmission electron microscopy to examine spermiogenesis in males of the butterfly Euptoieta hegesia. Only adult males were used, because this species has a long adult lifespan during which all cell stages can be observed. Male E. hegesia had a single fused testis with cysts that exclusively contained either apyrene or eupyrene cells. The main events of apyrene spermiogenesis included the formation, transformation and elimination of micronuclei, dense cap formation, the development of mitochondrial derivatives and tail elongation. Eupyrene spermiogenesis involved acrosome formation, nuclear condensation and elongation, extracellular appendage development, formation of mitochondrial derivatives and tail elongation. The pattern and events of apyrene and eupyrene spermiogenesis in E. hegesia corroborate and complement data in the literature, particularly with regard to the intermediate developmental stages of some structures, such as the acrosome, axoneme and extracellular appendages.

Keywords

Apyrene, eupyrene, spermiogenesis, structure, ultrastructure
587cb4517f8c9d0d058b45df jms Articles
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J. Morphol. Sci.

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