Cytoplasmic phenomena in the spermatogenesis of gerris

The history of the cytoplasmic components in the spermatogenesis of Gerris is, in general, like that which has been described in the Pentatomidae. The observations of fixed material have been checked by extensive studies of freshly teased preparations. During the spermatocyte growth period the chondriosomes undergo considerable increase in mass. During the maturation divisions the chondriosomes are remarkably constant in orientation with respect to the centrioles. The nebenkern arises by fusion of chondriosomes differentiated into chromophilic and chromophobic portions. The Golgi bodies of the earlier spermatocytes are vesicular bodies, the peripheries of which are osmiophilic. These are not visible in fresh preparations, but the masses resulting from their fusion in the late prophase of the first division are visible in the unfixed cells. The non‐osmiophilic material inside these masses stains with neutral red in fresh preparations. Only the osmiophilic part of the Golgi masses is involved in the fragmentation to form dictyosomes. There is very suggestive evidence that the process of acrosome synthesis largely takes place inside the sac‐like acroblast (Golgi apparatus). In the spermatid, material which stains, in fresh preparations, like the acroblast is never seen, except inside or attached to the acroblast, where it appears in the form of small spheres of ‘pro‐acrosomic’ material, which fuse to form the acrosome.