Microanatomy of the testes and testicular ducts of the butterfly lizard, Leiolepis ocellata Peters, 1971 (Reptilia: Squamata: Agamidae) during the active reproductive period

Abstract

The microanatomy of the testes and testicular ducts (rete testis, ductuli efferentes, ductus epididymis and ductus deferens) of Leiolepis ocellata (Agamidae) was investigated using light microscopy including histochemistry. Each testis contains seminiferous tubules and interstitial tissues. The former house spermatogenic cells (spermatogonia A & B, preleptotene, primary and secondary spermatocytes, spermatids (steps 1–8) and spermatozoa) and Sertoli cells, while the latter comprise peritubular and intersitial tissues. The rete testis is an anastomosing duct, having intratesticular and extratesticular portions. The proximal region of ductuli efferentes has wider outer ductal and luminal diameters than those of the distal region. The convoluted ductus epididymis is subdivided into four regions (initial segment, caput, corpus and cauda), based on the ductal diameter, epithelium characteristics and cell components. The ductus deferens has the greatest diameter and is divided into the ductal and ampulla ductus deferens. The ductal portion is subdivided into the proximal and distal regions, based on the epithelium types and ductal diameters. The ampulla ductus deferens is a fibromuscular tube, having numerous mucosal folds projecting into the lumen. Spermiophagy is detectable in the ductus epididymis and ductus deferens. The present results contribute to improved fundamental knowledge on the microanatomy of the reptilian reproductive system.

Histological study and immunohistochemical location of cytoskeletal proteins in the testis and epididymis of the three species of lizards of the family Leiosauridae (Reptilia: Squamata)

“…The testicular anatomy of the lizards E. bilineatus, E. perditus and U. vautieri reveals that they have an ovoid to elongated shape, similar to that described in T. itambere (Ferreira et al, 2009), L. ocellata (Pewhom & Srakaew, 2018), Scincella laterale (Gribbins et al, 2010), also as in other reptiles, such as the snake Seminatrix pygaea (Sever, 2010), the snake Agkistrodon piscivorus (Siegel et al, 2009) and the crocodile Alligator mississippiensis (Gribbins et al, 2008).…”

“…In anura testi, GAGs were described as helping the contractility of seminiferous tubules via maintaining viscoelasticity of the organ (Akat, 2020). These GAGS have been described in the reproductive system of reptiles, such as in Leiolepis ocellata (Pewhom & Srakaew, 2018), S. lateralis (Sever et al, 2013) and Pelodiscus sinensis (Waqas et al, 2016).…”

Seasonal histology and ultrastructure of the urogenital system in two sympatric lizards

“…Sever (2010) modified the terminology of the testicular ducts of squamates based on homology with other vertebrates, and Rheubert et al (2011) described the evolution of the SSK morphology in squamates. These data have shown that morphological variation exists within Squamata, such as regionalization of the epididymis in some species but not others (Akbarsha et al, 2006a;Rheubert et al, 2010;Pewhom & Nopparat, 2018) and localization of the SSK in different regions of the nephron depending on taxon examined (Rheubert et al, 2011). However, the level of variation based on taxonomic relatedness is still poorly understood due to the paucity of data currently available.…”

Male reproductive cycle in a population of the endemic butterfly lizard, Leiolepis ocellata Peters, 1971 (Squamata: Agamidae) from northern Thailand

“…Microscopic descriptions of the male reproductive structures were based on the previous report [ 37 ]. The seminiferous tubules of the lizards in the early first active period housed primary and secondary spermatogonia, primary and secondary spermatocytes, round and elongated spermatids, and spermatozoa (Fig.…”

“…They are omnivorous and feed on insects and young plant shoots [ 35 ]. Information on the reproductive biology of L. ocellata is scarce, with the only recent microscopic descriptions of the male reproductive system during the active period [ 37 ]. However, it remained questionable whether the reproductive structures and sex hormones of L. ocellata undergo seasonal cyclicity.…”