Histomorphological Assessment of Spermatogenesis with Reference to Spermatogonial Proliferation

Abstract

The freshwater catfish is the most predominant species of the teleost bred in captivity in Nigeria and has provided a model for the study of reproduction in aquatic vertebrates, but information on the number of mitotic divisions and spermatogonia generations remains inconclusive. This investigation aimed to assess the number of generations of spermatogonia produced before meiotic division during spermatogenesis. Results indicate that spermatogenesis occurred in cysts and germ cells at the same stage of maturation forming clones around the Sertoli cell It is concluded that spermatogenesis in captive-bred African catfish Clarias gariepinus is cystic and that spermatogonia arrangement in the cysts is unrestricted and progressive.

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