Ultrastructural study of the spermatozoon of Hemiurus appendiculatus (Digenea, Hemiuroidea, Hemiuridae), a parasite of Boops boops (Pisces, Teleostei, Sparidae) off Senegal

• Ultrastructural description of the spermatozoon of Hemiurus appendiculatus.
• Presence of a terminal bulge in the anterior extremity.
• Observation of a maximum of 7 cortical microtubules in cross section.
• Presence of a short first axoneme.
• Second description of the filamentous ornamentation in Hemiuridae.

The mature spermatozoon of Hemiurus appendiculatus exhibits the general pattern described in most of the digenean namely, two axonemes of the 9 + “1” pattern of the Trepaxonemata, a nucleus, a filiform mitochondrion, external ornamentations of the plasma membrane and parallel cortical microtubules located on one side of the spermatozoon. In this study, we show for the second time in a digenean spermatozoon the presence of microtubules of the second axoneme associated each in a short length with an external ornamentation, seven cortical microtubules, a terminal bulge in the anterior spermatozoon extremity separate from the remainder of the spermatozoon by a transverse constriction and the simultaneous presence of the external ornamentation of the plasma membrane with a filamentous ornamentation. The external ornamentations have a differentiated distribution, cover almost the anterior region of the spermatozoon, are more abundant around the first axoneme and extend backwards over a short distance around the second axoneme. This study also allowed us to reveal for the first time the existence in the Hemiuroidea of an axoneme that begins to disrupt before reaching the front end of the mitochondrion.

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