The spermatozoon of a ‘living fossil’: Tubiluchus troglodytes (Priapulida)

The spermatozoon of Tubiluchus troglodytes, the first priapulid formally described from the Mediterranean Sea has a head composed of an acrosome and a nucleus. The acrosome is divided in two branches coiled around the nucleus. The nucleus is basally columnar, but apically generates two rods helically coiled one around the other. The midpiece is formed by an axoneme with 27 accessory microtubules, surrounded by three mitochondria. An annulus separates the midpiece from the tail that contains a 9 + 2 axoneme surrounded by nine accessory microtubules. The spermatozoon of T. troglodytes is similar to that of the other two species known from the genus, and completely different from the ‘primitive’ one of the other priapulids. Since Tubiluchus is considered the most basal of the extant priapulids, and the only genus with an internal fertilization, it may be that in priapulids the external fertilization is a derived character.