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Sperm storage in the viviparous lizard Sceloporus bicanthalis (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae), a species with continuous spermatogenesis

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Abstract

Sceloporus bicanthalis inhabits the Nevado de Toluca, México, and the males exhibit continuous spermatogenesis with mature sperm available year round. Females were collected monthly to evaluate the morphology of the oviducts and the presence of sperm storage. Histological examination revealed that the oviductal structure in this lizard is similar to that described for other lacertilian species: anterior infundibulum, glandular uterus, and a posterior non-glandular uterus. The oviduct wall consists of a superficial visceral pleuroperitoneum, a middle layer of smooth muscle with outer longitudinal and inner circular fibers, and a deep mucosa or lamina propria deeply lined by an epithelium containing ciliated and non-ciliated secretory cells. Spermatozoa are stored at the base of the mucosal folds, in crypts and in sperm storage tubules at the transition between the glandular uterus and non-glandular uterus, as well as in the anterior non-glandular uterus of previtellogenic, vitellogenic, pregnant, and postpartum females. The sperm in the oviductal cavity or in retention sites is in contact with secretory products derived from non-ciliated epithelial cells. Spermatozoa usually assume an orderly distribution with their heads aligned and oriented toward the base of the folds or crypts. This study shows that females of S. bicanthalis exhibit prolonged sperm storage that corresponds with the continuous reproductive strategy employed by males.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Teresa F López for the histological processing; Misol-ja Méndez and Dzilam Méndez for their help with the graphic design and digital preparation of the figures. The Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), provided financial support through a fellowship granted to Mendoza-Cruz E.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Biología Tisular y Reproductora, Departamento de Biología Comparada, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, C. P. 04510, Distrito Federal, México

    Maricela Villagrán-SantaCruz & Eva Mendoza-Cruz

  2. Laboratorio de Morfofisiología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario # 100 Centro, C. P. 50000, Toluca, Estado de México, México

    Gisela Granados-González

  3. College of Sciences, The University of Findlay, 1000 N. Main St., Findlay, OH, 45840, USA

    Justin L. Rheubert

  4. Laboratorio de Herpetología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario # 100 Centro, C. P. 50000, Toluca, Estado de México, México

    Oswaldo Hernández-Gallegos

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  1. Maricela Villagrán-SantaCruz
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  2. Eva Mendoza-Cruz
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  3. Gisela Granados-González
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  4. Justin L. Rheubert
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  5. Oswaldo Hernández-Gallegos
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Correspondence to Maricela Villagrán-SantaCruz.

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All laboratory procedures were undertaken following ethical norms for animal experiments, and the study met the relevant legal regulations as well as institutional procedures for research of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and Ley de protección a los animales del Distrito Federal, México.

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Villagrán-SantaCruz, M., Mendoza-Cruz, E., Granados-González, G. et al. Sperm storage in the viviparous lizard Sceloporus bicanthalis (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae), a species with continuous spermatogenesis. Zoomorphology 136, 85–93 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00435-016-0327-6

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