Ultrastructural characteristics of spermiogenesis in rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract

The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is a pest that is rapidly spreading across the globe. Here, the ultrastructure of R. ferrugineus spermatogenesis and sperm are described. The histology of the testis, sperm ultrastructure, and spermiogenesis were investigated using light and transmission electron microscopy. The differentiation of spermatids was observed to occur within spermiogenetic cysts. Inside each cyst, the spermatids were at the same stage of maturation. During early stages, mitochondria aggregated, fused, and elongated beside the growing flagellar axoneme, while the proacrosome transformed into a triple-layered acrosome, with a perforatorium, acrosomal vesicle, and extra-acrosomal layer. The centriolar adjunct was present in early spermatids but was absent from later spermatid stages and sperm. The sperm's tail displayed a typical axoneme with a 9 + 9 + 2 microtubule arrangement, 2 mitochondrial derivatives of unequal size, and 2 accessory bodies. A small number of sperms exhibited twin or multiple tails due to membrane fusion. Our results support systematic relationships within the family Curculionidae.