Structure and ultrastructure of the testis and sperm formation in goodeid teleosts

Abstract

Abstract Testis structure in four species of goodeid teleosts is described. Testicular tubules terminate blindly at the testis periphery where spermatogonia are located. In goodeid teleosts, development of sperm takes place synchronously within cysts whose periphery is made up of a single layer of Sertoli cells. Upon completion of spermiogenesis, spermiation ensues wherein sperm are shed, as spermatozeugmata, into the testis efferent duct system. Subsequently, Sertoli cells, which comprised the cyst periphery, transform into efferent duct cells. Sertoli cells phagocytize residual bodies and are involved in the formation of spermatozeugmata. The structure of the goodeid spermatozeugmatum is quite different from that observed in the related poeciliids. It is concluded, in view of this and other considerations, that the goodeids and poeciliids have independently evolved solutions to the problems of internal fertilization and gestation.