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Ultrastructure of Sperm in Mercenaria stimpsoni and Mactra chinensis (Mollusca: Bivalvia) from the Sea of Japan

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Abstract

The ultrastructure of the sperm of the common bivalve species Mercenaria stimpsoni and Mactra chinensis from Peter the Great Bay is described. The sperm structure is typical for animals with external insemination. The sperm consists of a head, middle part, and flagellum. The sperm head of M. stimpsoni has a curved crescent form and includes the nucleus and acrosome; the head length is 9.8 μm. The acrosome is subdivided to the acrosome granule and the periacrosomal material. There are 4 mitochondria of about 0.8 μm in size in the middle part of the spermatozoon. The mitochondria surround the centriolar apparatus, which consists of proximal and distal centrioles located at a right angle. The axoneme originates from the distal centriole. The sperm of M. chinensis is barrel-shaped, with a head length of 3.2 μm. The acrosome is relatively larger, and its height is 1–1.2 μm. There are also 4 mitochondria 0.6–0.8 μm in the middle part of the spermatozoon. The sperm structure of the described species is typical of the families to which the mollusks belong, with insignificant variations.

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  1. Institute of Marine Biology, Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, 690041, Russia

    S. A. Tyurin & A. L. Drozdov

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  1. S. A. Tyurin
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  2. A. L. Drozdov
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Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Biologiya Morya, Tyurin, Drozdov.

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Tyurin, S.A., Drozdov, A.L. Ultrastructure of Sperm in Mercenaria stimpsoni and Mactra chinensis (Mollusca: Bivalvia) from the Sea of Japan. Russ J Mar Biol 31, 391–395 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11179-006-0009-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11179-006-0009-1

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