Comparative external morphology of cetacean spermatozoa

Abstract

SUMMARY: To compare size and morphology of spermatozoa in cetaceans, sperm and epididymis samples were collected from 10 species in four families and spermatozoa were observed with phase-contrast and scanning electron microscopes. According to the average total length of the spermatozoa, the 10 species examined were classified into the following four groups in order of increasing size: (i) Baird's beaked (Ziphiidae) and Bryde's whales (Balaenopteridae); (ii) Dall's and finless porpoises (Phocoenidae); (iii) common, bottlenose, and Pacific white-sided dolphins (Delphinidae); and (iv) killer and short-finned pilot whales, and Risso's dolphin (Delphinidae). Spermatozoa head length of Bryde's whale and the finless porpoise were shorter than those of the other species. Spermatozoa head width was widest in the killer whale and thinnest in the Baird's beaked whale. The lateral aspects of sperm heads from the 10 species were characterized as the ‘anterior region of the sperm head is thin and flat while the posterior region is thick.’ The dorsal aspects of sperm heads were ‘paddle-shaped’ in Bryde's whales, ‘bowling pin-shaped’ in Baird's beaked whales, ‘Japanese fan-shaped’ in killer whales, an ‘elongated ellipsoid shape’ in Delphinidae except for killer whales, and ‘ellipsoid shaped’ in Phocoenidae. Size and morphology of the spermatozoa showed interspecific differences among the 10 species examined, which correspond to cetacean taxonomic classification.