Pudú (Pudu puda) is the world’s smallest deer and since 2009 has been classified as endangered in the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List. The aim of the current study was to investigate the morphometric characteristics of Pudú sperm heads as a basis for future studies on the relationship between sperm quality and cryopreservation. Semen from nine adult males obtained by electroejaculation was used. A total of 3152 properly digitized sperm head were analyzed by means of the Sperm-Class Analyzer (SCA©; Microoptic, Barcelona, Spain). Descriptive statistics of the whole sperm population were calculated to characterize Pudú spermatozoa. The mean values +/- SD for the measures of sperm head dimensions were 9.41 +/- 0.49 lm for lenght, 37.45 +/- 3.55 lm3 for area, 25.87 +/- 1.57 lm for perimeter and 1.42 +/- 0.08 for p2a. The shape factor p2a compares the perimeter of an object to its area and takes a minimum value of 1 for a circle, increasing when the shape differs from it. Area and perimeter showed a large degree of variation between individuals (ranges, 27.16–59.21 lm3 and 21.25–34.05 lm, respectively). However, length and p2a were consistently maintained between males (ranges 7.88–11.73 lm and 1.22–2.11, respectively). Future studies should be conducted to evaluate the sperm head morphometry after cryopreservation assessing the behavior of the different males to achieve efficient sperm cryopreservation protocols that help to conserve this cervid species.

Resumen del póster presentado al 12th International Congress of the Spanish Association of Animal Reproduction, celebrado en Alicante del 16 al 18 de octubre de 2014.

Peer Reviewed