Lecture 2.

4: Reproductive System
by
Dr. Shubhra Sekhar Chakraborty
Faculty of Agriculture
Usha Martin University,
Ranchi:
Reproductive System

Structure of male & female reproductive systems-structure & types of

ovarioles, structure of follicles.

 Insects are not always sexually mature when they have completed the
final molt to adult stage, and in species with an adult diapause, there
may be considerable delay before mature sex cells are produced.
Hence it is necessary to distinguish between becoming adult and
becoming sexually mature.
 The reproductive organs are divided into two parts internal genitalia
and external genitalia. The internal genitalia facilitate the
development of germ cells. The external genitalia accomplish the
union between the sexes and enable the female to deposit the eggs.
 The male and female reproductive systems generally consist of paired
gonads connected to median duct leading to the gonopore.
 Accessory glands are often present which in the male are usually
concerned with spermatophore formation and sperm maintenance
and in the female provide glue for sticking the eggs to the substratum
or provide the substance for a complex egg-case.
 The female has, in addition, a spermatheca for storing sperm after copulation.

Anatomy of MALE internal reproductive organs:

The male reproductive internal genetalia typically consist of

 a pair of testes connecting with vasa differentia, and a median ejaculatory duct.
 In most insects there are also a number of accessory glands which
open into the vasa deferentia or the ejaculatory duct.
The male reproductive external genetalia typically consist of aedeagus

Testis:
 The testis lies above or below the gut in the abdomen and often close to the midline.
 Usually each testis consists of a number of testis tubes or follicles.
 The walls of follicles consist of a thin epithelium standing on a
basement membrane, and the follicles bound together by peritoneal
sheath. Testis as a whole is enclosed in a common coat known as
scrotum.
Vasa deferens
 The testes discharge spermatozoa into the lateral ducts, vasa differentia which is
paired canals.

 From each testis follicle a fine, short, vas efferens connects with the
vas differens, which is a tube with fairly thick bounding epithelium.
 The vas deferens runs backwards to lead into distal end of the ejaculatory duct
 A portion of the vas deferens is often enlarged to form the seminal
vesicle, which stores the sperm before they are discharged into the
female. The seminal vesicles have glandular linings that secrete
nutrients for nourishment and maintenance of the sperm.
Ejaculatory duct
 Each vas deferens becomes enlarged posteriorly to form a common ejaculatory duct.
 This leads to the aedeagus, is ectodermal in origin and is lines with
cuticle. Often at least a part of the wall is muscular. Ephemeroptera
have no ejaculatory duct and vasa
deferentia lead directly to the paired genital openings.

 The terminal section of ejaculatory duct is enclosed in a finger like invagination of the
ventral body wall, male copulatory organ or aedegus.

Accessory glands
 One to 3 pairs of accessory glands are usually present associated with
genital ducts (Mushroom shaped gland is cockroach).
 The male accessory glands open into the vasa deferentia or the distal
end of the ejaculatory duct.
 They may be exctodermal in origin, when there are known as
ectodernia, and in this case they may open into ejaculatory duct.
Ectodernia occur in coleoptera. Glands of mesodermal origin,
mesodenia, are found in orthoptera. Where large number of glands
 occur they probably produce a variety of secreations.
 A primary function of these secretions is to facilitate spermatophore
formation, sperm maintenance, sperm nourishment and sperm
transfer.
 In some cases, the secreations may have some nutritional value for
the female or they may accelerate oocyte maturation.

Spermatogensis (Structure of follicle)

 Each testis is composed of a group of testicular follicles.
 The testicular follicles are lined with a layer of epithelium.
 Each follicle is divided into a series of zones characterized by the
presence of sex cells in different stages of development.
 Each testicular follicle leads into a small duct the vas efferens which in turn opens into
vas deferens

 At the distal end of each follicle is the germarium, in which the germ
cells divide to produce spermatogonia. The germarium is the region
containing the primordial germ cells or spermatogonia which
undergo multiplication. As more spermatogonia are produced, they
push those which have developed earlier down the follicle.
 Three zones of development are commonly recognized below the germarium.
 The zone of growth is where the spermatogonia increase in size,
undergo repeated mitosis and develop into spermatocytes.
 The zone of division and reduction where the spermatocytes undergo
meiosis and give a rise to spermatids.
 The zone of transformation where the spermatide become
transformed into spermatozoa.
Anatomy of FEMALE internal reproductive organs:

The female reproductive internal gentalia consists of

 A pair of ovaries (gonads), which connects to

 A pair of lateral oviducts (gonoducts). These join to form A median oviduct (oviduct
common) opening posterior into Genital chamber.
 Opening from the genital chamber or vagina, is a spermatheca (
recepteculum semin) for storage of sperm.
 Sometimes, genital chamber forms a tube, the vagina (opens behind
the 8th or 9th abdominal sternum), and this is often developed to form a
bursa copulatrix (copulatory pouch) for reception of the penis.

Ovary:
 The ovaries lie in the abdomen above or lateral to the gut.
 Each consists of a number of egg-tubes, or ovaries, comparable with
the testis follicles in male.
 Development of the oocytes takes place in ovaries.
 The number of ovaries is roughly constant within species. Usually,
4 to 8. In isoptera it is said to reach more than 2000.
 A typical ovariole consists of three parts namely: Terminal filament,
Egg tube and Supporting stalk or pedicel. Distally each ovariole is
produced into a long terminal filament. The terminal filaments of all
ovarioles of one side unite distally with one another in a suspensory
ligament. Proximally the ovariole narrows to a fine duct, the pedicle,
which connects with the oviduct.
Oviduct:
 The oviducts tubes with walls of single layer of columnar cells.
 Usually, two lateral oviducts join a median oviduct which is
ectodermal in origin and hence is lines with cuticle.
 The median oviduct is usually more muscular than the lateral oviduct.
Spermatheca:
 This serves for the storage of sperm from the time female is
impregnated until the eggs are fertilized.
 This is present in most female insects.
 Spermatheca opens into genital chamber independently of the oviduct.
 This is ectodermal in origin, and is lined with cuticle.
Accessory Glands

 Female accessory glands often arise from the genital chamber or the vagina.
 Often these glands produce a substance for attaching the eggs to the
substratum during the oviposition and hence they are often called as
collateral glands, but there are frequent instances of specialized
functions which have been fully investigated in cockroach,
Periplanata. In this insect the eggs are laid in an ootheca consisting
of a tanned, cuticle-like substance, which is produced by the
accessory glands. The cuticle is produced by epidermal cells.
 The frothy secretions which form the eggpods of grasshoppers and
gelatinous sheath of Chironomous (Diptera) eggs are also produced
by accessory glands.

Oogenesis:
 Each ovariole consists of a distal
germarium in which oocytes are produced
from oogonia, and a more proximal
vitellarium in which the oocytes grow as
yolk is deposited in them.
 The vitellarium in a mature insect froms
by far the greater part of the ovariole.
 Typically each ovariole contains a linear
series of oocytes in successive stages of
development with the most advanced in
the most proximal position at the greatest
distance from the germarium.
The egg tube is divided into two parts.

 End chamber of germarium-germ cell are

seen in an active stage or division and
differentiation.
 Zone of growth or vitellarium-The egg
cells grow and attain their mature stage.
Consists of longitudinal series of
developing egg. As they grow by
deposition of yolk the eggs distend the
ovariole. Each egg is enclosed in a layer
of follicular epithelium which secrets
chorion or egg shell.
There are two types of ovarioles: There are two broad categories of
ovarioles, based on the presence or absence of special nurse cells
(trophocytes).

Panoistic ovariole Meriostic ovariole

These ovarioles have special nurse cells,
These ovarioles have no trophocytes (which are responsible for
special nurse cells producing yolk of the egg)
Telotrophic Polytrop
(Acrotrophic) hic
ovariole ovariole
The developing egg cell
receives its yolk from the All the trophocytes are Trophocytes
undifferentiated terminal in the accompany
follicular epithelium. germarium, and are each oocyte
Found in primitive connected with the and are
orders (Apterygota, developing oocytes by enclosed
thysanura, odonata, cytoplasmic strands. within follicle
plecoptera, orthoptera,
Isoptera)
Among the holometabolous
insects, only siphonoptera have Hemiptera, Coleoptera Endopterygota
ovarioles of
this type

The principal function of the trophic tissue of meriostic ovarioles is to
supply RNA to the oocyte in large quantities for its subsequent rapid
growth.
 Vitellogenesis: The deposition of yolk in oocyte is called
vitellogenesis occurs in the more proximal parts of the ovariole and it
results in a very rapid increase in size. The yolk (produced by
trophocytes) may be protein-carbohydrate complex yolk and lipid
yolk.
 The egg shell of the eggs is formed largely, and in many cases wholly,
by the follicle cells. Apart from this, follicle cells also secrete chorion,
part of egg shell.