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Spermiogenesis and sperm ultrastructure of Diphterostomum brusinae (Digenea, Zoogonidae), a parasite of Diplodus annularis (Pisces, Teleostei)

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Abstract

This paper constitutes the first ultrastructural study of spermiogenesis and the spermatozoon of a Digenea belonging to the family Zoogonidae, Diphterostomum brusinae. Spermiogenesis follows the general pattern found in the digeneans. It begins with the formation of a differentiation zone in the spermatid. The two centrioles give rise to flagella. These two flagella undergo a rotation of 90° and fuse with the median cytoplasmic process. The proximo-distal fusion occurs at the level of attachment zones. The mature spermatozoon of D. brusinae presents all the features found in the digeneans gametes: two axonemes, mitochondrion, nucleus and two bundles of parallel cortical microtubules. Nevertheless, several characteristics distinguish the spermatozoon of D. brusinae from other digeneans, in particular the external ornamentations of the plasma membrane and the anterior and posterior extremities. The description of the ultrastructural features of reproduction in this species would contribute to the understanding of the phylogenetic relationships in the Zoogonidae family.

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Acknowledgements

The study was partially supported by the Bonifacio Strait Marine Reserve and by a grant from INTERREG III. We thank the fishermen of the Bonifacio Strait Marine Reserve for biological material.

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  1. Laboratoire Parasites et Ecosystèmes Méditerranéens, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université de Corse, Campus Grossetti, 20250 , Corte, France

    Céline Levron, Sonia Ternengo & Bernard Marchand

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  1. Céline Levron
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  2. Sonia Ternengo
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  3. Bernard Marchand
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Correspondence to Céline Levron.

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Levron, C., Ternengo, S. & Marchand, B. Spermiogenesis and sperm ultrastructure of Diphterostomum brusinae (Digenea, Zoogonidae), a parasite of Diplodus annularis (Pisces, Teleostei). Parasitol Res 94, 147–154 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-004-1199-0

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