Novel sperm crypts and behavior of gametes in the fallopian tube of the white-toothed shrew, Crocidura russula monacha.

The gametes of an insectivore, the white-toothed shrew, Crocidura russula monacha, present certain idiosyncratic features not seen in most other eutherian mammals. The spermatozoa display an acrosome of giant proportions, and are produced in relatively small numbers. In trans-illuminated oviducts examined with DIC optics, spermatozoa were first sequestered in languid clutches within the isthmus in deep narrow crypts, with some eventually ingested by the crypt epithelium. Then, at ovulation (ca. 15 hr after hCG), many ascended to occupy "bubble-like" ciliated crypts distributed randomly within the ampulla, as active groups of acrosome-intact spermatozoa. However, eggs (3.95; range 2-6) were first retained for several hours and were fertilized in an upper crypt-free infundibulum before moving down to the ampulla. At fertilization, individual spermatozoa penetrate an unusually compact matrix-free cumulus oophorus which is stabilized by intercellular junctions, is insensitive to hyaluronidase, and persists for approximately 13 hr around fertilized and for approximately 24 hr around unfertilized eggs. In contrast to the free ampullary spermatozoa, active spermatozoa accumulating within the cumulus all had shed the acrosome, an observation consistent with evidence from other shrews suggesting that the cumulus may necessarily induce the acrosome reaction in this ancient line. Hypertrophy of the acrosome, isthmic sperm storage crypts, and stable cumulus oophorus that develops a peri-zona space, all may prove to be typically crocidurine characteristics of use where the classification of a shrew is in doubt.