FERTILIZATION PROCESS IN THE HEART-URCHIN, CLYPEASTER JAPONICUS OBSERVED WITH A DIFFERENTIAL INTERFERENCE MICROSCOPE.

The observations of the fertilization process in the heart-urchin, Clypeaster japonicus with a differential interference microscope indicate that the sperm pronucleus is carried to the center of the egg by the growth of the sperm aster as stated by Chambers (5), and that the egg pronucleus is carried to the center of the aster by a filamentous structure formed between them. The curved path of egg pronucleus in the fertilized egg is interpreted as the combination of the movement of the center of the aster and the movement of the egg pronucleus toward the center of the aster. The movement and the rotation of the sperm head result from pushing by the tail being engulfed in the egg.