The highly divergent spermatozoon of the Palawan spiny rat, Maxomys panglima has an extremely long tail
W. G. Breed
A * , C. M. Leigh B and E. J. Peirce C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
B Adelaide Microscopy, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
C School of Biomedicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 34(6) 526-530 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD21255
Published online: 25 February 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Context: Sperm morphology varies greatly across mammalian species and this variability is especially evident in murid rodents with both sperm head shape and tail length being sexually selected traits. The Palawan spiny rat, Maxomys panglima has a longer sperm tail than that currently recorded for any other mammalian species.
Aims: The aim of the current study was to determine the sperm morphology of an individual Palawan spiny rat, M. panglima.
Methods: Light and transmission electron microscopy were carried out.
Key results: We found that the sperm tail of M. panglima has an average length of 380 μm with the midpiece being approximately 185 μm in length with comparatively small mitochondria but very large coarse fibres. Furthermore, the sperm head has a less acutely flexed apical hook than that of most other murid rodents including those of several other Maxomys species.
Conclusions: The Palawan spiny rat has a highly divergent sperm morphology with an extremely long tail. It may turn out to be an important species for testing various hypotheses of sperm form and function in mammals.
Implications: These findings suggest markedly different selective pressures may have resulted in this unique sperm morphology, the functional significance of which remains to be determined.
Keywords: eutherian mammals, mammalian species, Maxomys, midpiece structure, murid rodents, Palawan Spiny rat, sperm morphology, sperm tail length.
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