External morphology of spermatozoa and spermatozeugmata of the freshwater mussel Truncilla truncata (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae)
American Midland Naturalist
By: D. L. Waller and B. A. Lasee
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Truncilla truncata males release spherical aggregates of spermatozoa, called spermatozeugmata, at spawning. Sperm aggregates from other bivalve species have been described, but few detailed studies exist of the morphology of unionid spermatozeugmata and spermatozoa. We provide the first description of the external morphology of spermatozeugmata and spermatozoa of T. Truncata. The spermatozeugmata had an inside diameter of 76 mu m and contained 8000-9000 spermatozoa. Heads of spermatozoa were directed toward the center of the sphere into a translucent shell; tails were arranged radially and caused the spermatozeugmata to rotate. Spermatozoa of T. Truncata measured 3.3 mu m in length (excluding tail) and each had a head, a midpiece and a flagellum. We also documented the release of spermatozeugmata in two additional unionid species, Lampsilis cardium and Amblema plicata plicata.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | External morphology of spermatozoa and spermatozeugmata of the freshwater mussel Truncilla truncata (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae) |
| Series title | American Midland Naturalist |
| DOI | 10.2307/2426669 |
| Volume | 138 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 1997 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | University of Notre Dame |
| Contributing office(s) | Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center |
| Description | 4 p. |
| First page | 220 |
| Last page | 223 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |