Spermiogenesis in Caecilians Ichthyophis Tricolor and Uraeotyphlus Cf
JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY 262:484–499 (2004) Spermiogenesis in Caecilians Ichthyophis tricolor and Uraeotyphlus cf. narayani (Amphibia: Gymnophiona): Analysis by Light and Transmission Electron Microscopy Mathew Smita,1 Jancy M. George,2 R. Girija,2 M.A. Akbarsha,2 and Oommen V. Oommen1* 1Department of Zoology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, 695 581, Kerala, India 2Department of Animal Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamil Nadu, India ABSTRACT Spermiogenesis, known as spermateleosis times availability in fair abundance of a few species in lower vertebrates, is the transformation of the round of caecilians has been reported, which has kindled spermatid into a highly specialized spermatozoon with a interest about their ecology, behavior, and reproduc- species-specific structure. Spermateleosis and sperm mor- tive biology (Oommen et al., 2000). phology of two species of caecilians, Ichthyophis tricolor and Uraeotyphlus cf. narayani, from the Western Ghats of The most outstanding contributions on male re- Kerala, India, were studied using light and transmission productive biology of caecilians have come from Se- electron microscopy. Spermateleosis is described in early, shachar (1936, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942a,b, mid-, and late phases. During the early phase, the sper- 1943a,b, 1945, 1948; Seshachar and Srinath, 1946), matid nucleus does not elongate, but the acrosome vesicle Wake (1968, 1970a,b, 1972, 1977, 1981, 1994, 1995), is Golgi-derived and its material is produced as a homo- Exbrayat (1986a,b, 2000), and Exbrayat and Dan- geneous substance rather than as discrete granules. In sard (1992, 1993, 1994). Light microscopic observa- development of the acrosome, the centrioles shift in posi- tions on caecilian spermatozoon have been reported tion to the lower half of the cell.
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