title: Comparative testicular structure and spermatogenesis in bony fishes.
abstract: In most bony fishes, testes are paired elongated organs that are attached to the dorsal wall of the body by a mesorchium. Histological examination of teleost testes, and also in all vertebrates, shows that the testes are formed of germ cells and somatic cells, comprising the germinal and interstitial compartments. Both compartments are separated by a basement membrane. The germ cells may be spermatogonia, meiotic spermatocytes and haploid spermatids that differentiate into spermatozoa. The process of spermatogenesis includes a sequence of morphological and physiological changes of germ cells that begin with the differentiation of spermatogonia that become meiotic spermatocytes. After the second meiotic division, through a process of spermiogenesis, these differentiate into spermatozoa. Spermatogonia associate with Sertoli cells to form spermatocysts or cysts. The cyst is the unit of spermatogenic function, composed of a cohort of isogenic germ cells surrounded by encompassing Sertoli cells. The teleost testis is organized morphologically into 3 types of testis: 1) tubular testis type, present in lower bony fishes as salmonids, cyprinids and lepisosteids; 2) unrestricted spermatogonial testis type, found in neoteleosts except Atherinomorpha; and 3) restricted spermatogonial testis type, characteristic of all Atherinomorpha. The morphology of the testicular germinal epithelium changes during the annual reproductive cycle, reflecting reproductive seasonality.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción; Departamento de Biología Comparada; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Ciudad Universitaria ; México, México.
authors.forename: Mari Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Uribe
authors.affiliation: Division of Fishes; National Museum of Natural History; Smithsonian Institution ; Washington, DC USA ; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Fish and Wildlife Research Institute ; Saint Petersburg, FL USA.
authors.forename: Harry J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Grier
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción; Departamento de Biología Comparada; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Ciudad Universitaria ; México, México.
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mejía-Roa
keywords: bony fishes; restricted testis type; spermatogenesis; testicular structure; tubular testis type; unrestricted testis type