title: Ultrastructural study of the spermatozoon of Hemiurus appendiculatus (Digenea, Hemiuroidea, Hemiuridae), a parasite of Boops boops (Pisces, Teleostei, Sparidae) off Senegal.
abstract: The mature spermatozoon of Hemiurus appendiculatus exhibits the general pattern described in most of the digenean namely, two axonemes of the 9 + "1" pattern of the Trepaxonemata, a nucleus, a filiform mitochondrion, external ornamentations of the plasma membrane and parallel cortical microtubules located on one side of the spermatozoon. In this study, we show for the second time in a digenean spermatozoon the presence of microtubules of the second axoneme associated each in a short length with an external ornamentation, seven cortical microtubules, a terminal bulge in the anterior spermatozoon extremity separate from the remainder of the spermatozoon by a transverse constriction and the simultaneous presence of the external ornamentation of the plasma membrane with a filamentous ornamentation. The external ornamentations have a differentiated distribution, cover almost the anterior region of the spermatozoon, are more abundant around the first axoneme and extend backwards over a short distance around the second axoneme. This study also allowed us to reveal for the first time the existence in the Hemiuroidea of an axoneme that begins to disrupt before reaching the front end of the mitochondrion.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Management of Ecosystems, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, BP 5055, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Ayatoulaye
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dione
authors.affiliation: UMR 6134-SPE, CNRS - Università di Corsica, SERME Service d'Étude et de Recherche en Microscopie Electronique, Campus Grimaldi, 20250, Corte, Corsica, France. Electronic address: quilichini@univ-corse.fr.
authors.forename: Yann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Quilichini
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Management of Ecosystems, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, BP 5055, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Cheikh Tidiane
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Bâ
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Management of Ecosystems, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, BP 5055, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Papa Mbagnick
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Diagne
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Management of Ecosystems, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, BP 5055, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Papa Ibnou
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Ndiaye
authors.affiliation: UMR 6134-SPE, CNRS - Università di Corsica, SERME Service d'Étude et de Recherche en Microscopie Electronique, Campus Grimaldi, 20250, Corte, Corsica, France.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marchand
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010473:Perciformes / Q000469:parasitology*; D012675:Senegal; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014200:Trematoda / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014201:Trematode Infections / Q000469:parasitology*
keywords: Boops boops; Digenea; Hemiuridae; Hemiurus appendiculatus; Spermatozoon; Ultrastructure