Summary
Spermiogenesis and sperm cells of the meiobenthic priapulid Tubiluchus were described by means of the transmission electron microscope. The sperm cells are completely different from the male gametes of Priapulus, being elongated and thus indicating a different mode of sperm transfer. The anterior portion of the sperm head is characterised by a corkscrew configuration of nucleus and acrosome, both components being wrapped around each other. This kind of sperm cell has never been reported in other animal phyla.
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Alberti, G., Storch, V. Fine structure of developing and mature spermatozoa in Tubiluchus (priapulida, tubiluchidae). Zoomorphology 103, 219–227 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00310479
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00310479