The ultrastructural aspects of spermatogenesis of aquatic Heteroptera

• Grant number: 13/19864-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2014
• End date: January 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Morphology of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Mary Massumi Itoyama
• Grantee: Mary Massumi Itoyama
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The suborder Heteroptera has seven infraorders with about 80 families, the majority of which occur on all continents (except Antarctica) and some islands. In addition to terrestrial Heteroptera, there are aquatic and semiaquatic Heteroptera that are widely distributed around the world. They fascinate us with their ability to live in an extraordinarily wide variety of ecosystems-- they are found in both freshwater and marine habitats-- and in varied altitudes ranging from 0 to 4,700 meters. Studies on the ultrastructural aspects of spermatogenesis and, specifically, the sperm structure in aquatic Heteroptera are still scarce; for that reason, the aim of this study is to analyze the ultrastructures of spermatogenesis with semi-fine sections stained with toluidine blue or impregnated by silver ions and ultra-thin sections examined by the use of transmission electron microscopy and performed on adult male testes in the Belostomatidae, Gelastocoridae, Gerridae, and Notonectidae Veliidae families. The ultrastructural analysis of spermatogenesis will not only allow for a description of their ultrastructures, such as the acrosome, axoneme, mitochondria and chromatoid body, but also a description of their behavior during spermatogenesis. (AU)