Ultrastructural description of the spermatogenesis and spermatozoa in Phaenocora unipunctata (Platyhelminthes,...

Ultrastructural studies of spermiogenesis and sperm morphology have found many characters that are likely to provide clues to the phylogeny of the Platyhelminthes. However, the lack of information on many free-living groups has been a limiting factor. There is a single description of the spermatogenesis and spermatozoa in a Phaenocora species, namely P. anomalocoela, therefore a similar analysis was made in Phaenocora unipunctata to compare the intrageneric variation of sperm ultrastructure and spermatogenesis in the Neotyphloplanida. The comparison of the two Phaenocora species shows that several characters have the potential to be relevant to hypothesize phylogenetic relationships at different taxonomic levels. The presence of superficially incorporated axonemes outside the ring of cortical microtubules in the mature sperm cell, resulting from the fusion of the axonemes with the median cytoplasmic process during spermiogenesis, as well as the presence of a constant number of microtubules in the different regions of the spermatozoon, seem to constitute apomorphies of the genus Phaenocora. Furthermore, the presence of an axonemal spur, the compression of cortical microtubules by the rotation of the basal bodies during spermiogenesis, and the presence of a connection between the nucleus and the plasma membrane in the mature spermatozoon, support previous proposals that these characters are apomorphies of Dalytyphloplanida. The comparison of spermatogenesis and spermatozoa of P. unipunctata and P. anomalocoela demonstrates that studying intrageneric variation can give valuable insights into the significance of many characters proposed for phylogenetic studies of the Rhabdocoela.