Testicular histomorphometric patterns and spermatogenesis dynamics of Oecomys bicolor tomes, 1860 (Rodentia: Cricetidae)

Abstract

Although the order Rodentia does not present a high risk of extinction compared to mammals as a whole, several families demonstrate high levels of threat and/or data deficiency, therefore highlighting the need for targeted research and the application of ecological and reproductive data to the development of conservation actions. The order Rodentia, the largest among mammals, includes 9 families, and the family Cricetidae is the most diverse of the Brazilian rodents. In Brazil, 12 of the 16 genera of Oecomys are found. Oecomys bicolor is known in Brazil as the ‘arboreal rat’ and is, found in dry, deciduous and tropical forests. The mean body weight of Oecomys bicolor was 35.8 g and the gonadal, tubular and epithelial somatic indexes were, 0.53%, 0.47% and 0.37%, respectively. Seminiferous tubules volume density was 89.72% and the mitotic and meiotic indexes corresponded to 8.59 and 2.45 cells, respectively, and the yield of spermatogenesis was 23.83 cells. The intertubular compartment represented 10.28% of the testis parenchyma and around 5% of the interstitial space was occupied by Leydig cells, whose number per gram of testis was 11.10 × 10⁷ cells. By evaluating the biometric and histomorphometric characteristics of the testis, there is evidence that this species has a high investment in reproduction. Due to the high contribution of the seminiferous epithelium and the intertubular compartment in this species, compared to the others of the same family, it is possible to infer that the species Oecomys bicolor has a promiscuous reproductive behaviour.