title: Spermiogenesis and Taxonomical Values of Sperm Ultrastructures in Male Crassostrea ariakensis (Fujita & Wakiya, 1929) (Pteroirmorphia: Ostreidae) in the Estuary of the Seomjin River, Korea.
abstract: Characteristics of the developmental stages of spermatids during spermiogenesis and phylogenetic classicfication of the species using sperm ultrastructures in male Crassostrea ariakensis were investigated by transmission electron microscope observations. The morphology of the spermatozoon of this species has a primitive type and is similar to those of Ostreidae. Ultrastructures of mature sperms are composed of broad, modified cap-shaped acrosomal vesicle and an axial rod in subacrosomal materials on an oval nucleus, four spherical mitochondria in the sperm midpiece, and satellite fibres which appear near the distal centriole. The axoneme of the sperm tail shows a 9+2 structure. Accordingly, the ultrastructural characteristics of mature sperm of C. ariakensis resemble to those of other investigated ostreids in Ostreidae in the subclass Pteriomorphia. In this study, particularly, two transverse bands (stripes) appear at the anterior region of the acrosomal vesicle of this species, unlike two or three transverse bands (stripes) in C. gigas. It is assumed that differences in this acrosomal substructure are associated with the inability of fertilization between the genus Crassostrea and other genus species in Ostreidae. Therefore, we can use sperm ultrastructures and morphologies in the resolution of taxonomic relationships within the Ostreidae in the subclass Pteriomorphia. These spermatozoa, which contain several ultrastructures such as acrosomal vesicle, an axial rod in the sperm head part and four mitochondria and satellite fibres in the sperm midpiece, belong to the family Ostreidae in the subclass Pteriomorphia.
authors.affiliation: Korea Marine Ecology Institute, Busun 612-020, Korea.
authors.forename: Pal Won
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Son
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, College of Medicine, Inje University, Busan 614-735, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Seung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Korea Ocean & Fisheries Institute, Busan 608-810, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Kunsan National University, Gunsan 573-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Han
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Biotechnology, Kunsan National University, Gunsan 573-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Ee-Yung
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Chung
keywords: Crassostrea ariakensis; Germ cell; Sperm ultrastructure; Spermiogenesis