Morphology of the male reproductive system and spermatophore formation in the freshwater “red claw” crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus (Von Martens, 1898) (Decapoda, Parastacidae)

The morphology of the male reproductive system was studied in Cherax quadricarinatus. The testes and vasa deferentia were dissected, fixed, cut and stained. Testes appear as two parallel and opalescent strands; they present many testicular lobes, each lobe containing cells in the same stage of the s...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Lopez, Laura Susana, Vazquez, Fernanda Jimena, Rodriguez, Enrique Marcelo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2007
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/16574
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/16574
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Male Reproductive
Testes
Cherax Quadricarinatus
Vas Deferens
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Descripción
Sumario:The morphology of the male reproductive system was studied in Cherax quadricarinatus. The testes and vasa deferentia were dissected, fixed, cut and stained. Testes appear as two parallel and opalescent strands; they present many testicular lobes, each lobe containing cells in the same stage of the spermatogenic cycle. A vas deferens arises from the external side of each testis and three parts were clearly distinguished: proximal vas deferens (PVD), middle vas deferens (MVD) and distal vas deferens (DVD). The PVD is opalescent and highly convoluted, the MVD is pale white in colour and convoluted, but wider in diameter than the PVD, while the DVD shows the widest diameter, is straight and is white in colour. A single-layered epithelium is recognized in the vas deferens; with cylindrical cells in the PVD and cuboid cells in the MVD and DVD. The formation of the spermatophore starts at the PVD, while the secondary layer of the spermatophore seems to be added at the MVD. At the DVD, the highly coiled spermatophore is surrounded by the periodic acid Schiff-positive sticky components of the secondary layer. Many aspects of spermatophore formation in C. quadricarinatus differ from those of other Astacida. The applied aspects of this study for aquaculture purposes are discussed.