ABSTRACT
During annual spermatogenesis, the testes of three asteroids, Asterias vulgaris, Ctenodiscus crispatus and Hippasteria phrygiana, were observed at monthly intervals with light and electron microscopy after application of histochemica1 and autoradiographic techniques. This was done to discern the changing organization of the structural microenvironment involved in local control of the annual spermatogenic cycle and to compare these findings with the well-known system active during continuous production of spermatozoa in mammals.
