Abstract
IN 1962 Biggers and Creed1 pointed out that conjugation (henceforth called pairing) of spermatozoa is a normal occurrence in the epididymides of the North American opossum (Didelphis marsupialis virginiana Kerr). Evidence has now been obtained which shows that this phenomenon is found in the majority of, if not all, marsupials in the American continents, and that, if it occurs in Australasian marsupials, it is likely to be exceptional. Also, three morphologically distinct types of spermatozoa have been found to exist in the extant American group, which consists of 69 species2 grouped into 15 genera and two families. Our observations are summarized in this report.
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BIGGERS, J., DELAMATER, E. Marsupial Spermatozoa Pairing in the Epididymis of American Forms. Nature 208, 402–404 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/208402b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/208402b0
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