Comparative ultrastructure of spermatozoa from two regular and two irregular New Zealand echinoids

Abstract

Spermatozoa from four species of echinoids found in New Zealand had morphological characteristics typical of other echinoids, including a conical sperm head with an acrosome-capped nucleus, a midpiece, and a single long flagellum. The spermatozoa of Fellaster zelandiae, Echinocardium cordatum, Evechinus chloroticus, and Centrostephanus rodgersii also showed statistically significant differences in species-specific morphological characteristics. Evechinus chloroticus showed the most variable sperm morphology. The irregular urchins (F. zelandiae and E. cordatum) had short, wide sperm heads (head length:width ratios 2.93:1 & 2.97:1, respectively) with a long acrosome complex, while the regular urchins (E. chloroticus and C. rodgersii) had longer, narrower heads with a short acrosome complex (ratios 5.29:1 & 3.37:1). Spermatozoa of E. cordatum from the New Zealand population shared more characteristics with those of conspecifics from the Sea of Japan than those of conspecifics from the Baltic, reflecting the membership of the former two populations in a distinct Pacific clade. Volumetric calculations showed no evidence of phylogenetic grouping. Mitochondria of E. chloroticus spermatozoa were less than half the volume of those of C. rodgersii and E. cordatum, and those of F. zelandiae were intermediate in volume. These volume measurements will be useful in physiological studies of sperm performance and quality.