한국산 녹색 말거머리 (Whitmania edentula)의 정자형성에 관한 미세구조

Ultrastructural Study on the Spermatogenesis of the Korean Leech, Whitmania edentula

The spermatogenesis of korean leech, Whitmania edentula was observed, using both light and electron microscopes. The spermatogonium and maturing spermatozoon are connected with long cytoplasmic process to the cytophore, which supplys nutrition to the germ cells and supports synchronous maturity. The truck of korean leech is divided into three regions; a long ladder-shaped acrosome and head, long middle piece and long tail. Long head region twists to the dextral helix, and nuclei are surrounded with microtubules (manchette).The nebenkern formed with long mitochondrion exists in the middle pieces, and a long tail of Whitmania edentula ($9\times2+1$ axoneme) differs from the $9\times2+2$ axoneme of Rhynchobdellae. The late cytophore is mostly formed with crystalloid matter and a number of lysosomes, and matured spermatozooms are engulfed into the late cytophore.