SPERMATOZOA MORPHOLOGY,

MORPHOMETRY AND ULTRASTRUCTURE OF

VARIOUS WILD ANIMALS
Vincentia Trisna Yoelinda
B362180038
 INTRODUCTION

a. Sperm cell from the sea urchin Arbacia punctulata. b The crawling sperm from the nematode Ascaris suum. c The longest sperm
known, from the fy Drosophila bifurca. d–f sperm from diferent plants: Conocephalum conicum (d; bifagellated), Equisetum hyemale
[e; with at least 80 fagella; and Cycas revoluta (f; about 1000ths fagella). g, h Sperm can display profound variations in morphology
even within the same class. Sperm from two passerine birds: the Eurasian bullfnch Pyrrhula pyrrhula (g) and the House sparrow
Passer domesticus (h). Reprinted with permission from (Birkhead and Immler 2007)
(dalam Alvarez 2017)
INTRODUCTION

Exemplary axonemal structures found in sperm.

SPERM MORPHOLOGY
 SIX-BANDED ARMADILLO
(EUPHRACTUS SEXCINCTUS)

Normal sperm morphology : . (A) Sperm normal – HD:

head; MP: midpiece; PP: principal piece; EP: end
piece.
Six-banded armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus) sperm
agglutinated in two or three cells arranges forming a
sperm roleaux.

(Sousa et al. 2013)

Sperm defects in six-banded armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus) : (B) Detached head. (C) Bent
coiled tail. (D) Midpiece broken at neck. (E) Reflex midpiece and distal cytoplasm droplet
(arrow). (F) Abnormal head shape. (G) Reflex midpiece. (H) Bent head (arrow). (I) Coiled tail
and swollen acrosome. (J) Detached acrosome.

(Sousa et al. 2013)

 AMERICAN BLACK BEARS
(URSUS AMERICANUS)

Normal sperm morphology in American black bears.

HD: head; MP: midpiece; PP: principal piece; EP: end piece

(Brito et al 2010)
• Sperm head defects in American black bears. A–C: knobbed acrosome; D–F: abnormal
DNA condensation; G-H: pyriform (Py); I–J: microcephalic (Mi) and macrocephalic (Ma);
K–N: nuclear vacuoles.
•
• Sperm tail defects in American black bears. A–D: distal midpiece reflex; E–F:
principal piece reflex; G–H: coiled tail
• Sperm tail defects in American black bears. A: swollen midpiece; B: midpiece broken
at the neck; C,D: mitochondrial sheet aplasia; E:
abaxial tail implantation; F: accessory tail; G,H: duplicate tail.
• Sperm defects in American black bears. A,B: proximal cytoplasmic droplet; C,D:
distal cytoplasmic droplet; E: duplicate head and tail;
F,G: teratoids.
 AFRICAN PENGUINS

Sperm morphology of African penguins stained with SpermBlue and analysed with brightfield optics.
(Mafunda et al 2017)
• Nomarski differential interference contrast microscopy illustrating various sperm components,
namely the acrosome (A), nuclear region of the head (N), mid-piece (Mp), principal piece (Pp)
and end piece (Ep). Individual mitochondria (MT) are depicted in the mid-piece.
 ROCKHOPPER PENGUINS

Sperm morphology Rockhopper penguins stained with SpermBlue and analysed with brightfield optics.
(Mafunda et al 2017)
• Nomarski differential interference contrast microscopy illustrating various sperm components,
namely the acrosome (A), nuclear region of the head (N), mid-piece (Mp), principal piece (Pp)
and end piece (Ep). Individual mitochondria (MT) are depicted in the mid-piece.
 BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN
(TURSOPS TRUNCATUS)

Three bottlenose dolphin spermatozoa stained with SpermBlue

(van der Horst et al 2018)
SPERM MORPHOMETRY
Values (Mean ± SEM) for sperm morphometry in six-banded armadillos (Euphractus
sexcinctus) (n = 12; 3 ejaculates/male).
• Morphometry of epididymal and ejaculated sperm from American black bears (sperm
nucleus dimensions: Feulgen-stained samples; sperm head, midpiece, and tail
dimensions: eosin/nigrosin-stained samples).
• Sperm morphometry measurements of head, mid-piece, tail and total sperm length
(mean ± SD) for the African and Rockhopper penguin.
• Morphometric parameters of sperm in semen diluted for three dolphins (average ± SD) as
determined through automated SCA morphology analysis using SpermBlue stain. Consecutive
ejaculates combined
•
• Tail length, midpiece length and total sperm length for 100 sperm randomly selected from
all three dolphins and swim-up samples.
SPERM ULTRASTRUCTURE
• Electron microphotograph of sperm morphology in six-banded armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus). (A) PS: principal segment;
ES: equatorial segment; PA: post-acrosome segment; electron lucent nuclear dots (red arrows). (B) AC: acrosome; SAS:
subacrosome space; OAM: outer acrosome membrane; IAM: inner acrosome membrane; NM: nuclear membrane; NU:
nucleus; PL: plasmalemma. (C) H: sperm head; NR: neck region. (D) IF: implantation fossa; CAP:capitulum; PC: proximal
centriole; ODF: outer dense fibers. (E) MP: midpiece; MS: mitochondrial sheath; AN: annulus; PP: principal piece. (F) AX:
axoneme;FS: fibrous sheath; *: longitudinal columns.
• AC: acrosome; AN: annulus; AX: axoneme; EP: end piece; ES: equatorial segment; FS: fibrous sheath;
HD: head; IAM: inner acrosome membrane; IF: implantation fossa; MP: midpiece; MS: mitochondrial
sheath; NM: nuclear membrane; OAM: outer acrosome membrane; ODF: outer dense fibers; PAS: post-
acrosomal sheath; PC: proximal centriole; PL: plasmalemma; PP: principal piece; SAS: subacrosomal
space; SC: segmented columns; *: longitudinal columns.
• Ultrastructure of the spermatozoon of African penguin (Spheniscus dermersus). a) Longitudinal section trough
the head a mid-piece, nucleus (N), mid-piece (Mp), mitochondria (MT), principal piece (Pp), b) Longitudinal,
cross and transverse sections of the head showing that nucleus is spherical, acrosome (A), nucleus (N). c)
Longitudinal section through nucleus and mid-piece showing, nucleus (N), capitulum (C), proximal centriole
(Pc). d) Longitudinal section of the mid-piece showing mitochondria (MT) with cristae, annulus (An)
• Cross section through the sperm flagellum illustrating the axonemes. a) Two typical and individual
axonemes, d) double axoneme in one plasmalemma, g) three axonemes in one plasmalemma and j) four
axonemes in one plasmalemma, cut at an oblique angle. b, e, h, k) Orientation of doublets 3 and 8. c, f,
j, l) Display of the possible plane of bending. Central pair (CP), plasma membrane (PM), outer
microtubule doublet (OMD). a-j are micrographs of African penguin and k and l are micrographs of
Rockhopper penguin.
• Cross section through the sperm flagellum illustrating the axonemes. a) Two typical and individual
axonemes, d) double axoneme in one plasmalemma, g) three axonemes in one plasmalemma and j) four
axonemes in one plasmalemma, cut at an oblique angle. b, e, h, k) Orientation of doublets 3 and 8. c, f,
j, l) Display of the possible plane of bending. Central pair (CP), plasma membrane (PM), outer
microtubule doublet (OMD). a-j are micrographs of African penguin and k and l are micrographs of
Rockhopper penguin.
• Ultrastructural features of Atlantic bottlenose dolphin sperm showing the sperm head with acrosome (A)
and midpiece (longitudinal (B) and transverse (C)).
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