Reproductive System of Herdmania

Reproductive System of Herdmania

Herdmania is hermophrodite but protogenous condition is found and self fertilization is not found.

Gonads 

In animals there are two large gonads found which embedded in the middle. The right gonads is situated just parellel to perichordium but the left gonads present inside of intestinal loop.

Each adult gonads is elongated and measuring about 3-4 cm longs, one cm wide and 2-3 mm thick.

There are 10-25 oval or rounded lobes arranged in two rows one are either side of central axis. The median love present at the proximal end is largest unpaired and bean shaped each love is made of larger brick red and outer testicular region and smaller pinkish inner ovarian region. Each lobe of gonads is ovotestis and hermophrodite glands.

Gonoducts

Each gonads has two gonoduct that is oviduct and and spermatic duct the oviduct is wider tube farmed by union of ovarian ductules. One from ovarian zone of each lobe. This oviduct open into cloaca by oviducal aperture. The spermatic duct or vas-defderence is much narrower duct formed by the union of spermatic ductules. It runs inner side of oviduct and open through spermeiducal aperture.

Gametes 

The testicular lobe produce sperm or spermatozoa. The mature sperm is microscopic four micron in length. Each sperm has anterior broad and nucleated hard with bean like acrosome a middle piece or neck and very long tail the sperms are three types in which acrosome shorter, equal or larger than head.

The oviparian love produce ova or eggs. The mature ovum is large and 3mm in diameter in cytoplasm. The granulated yolk distributed the large nucleous situated on one side. The three membrane surrounded the ovum.

Vitelline membrane, inner choirion and outer choirion. The vitteline membrane is secreated by ovum and farm it's wall. The folicular cell of ovary secreates two chorion membrane the ovum lies in the pervitteline flood. The space contain large number of follicles cell, some floating in the flood.

Fertilization

Fertilization is external. Self fertilization does not occurs due to protogemy means female gamets develop and mature before the male gametes. The gametes librated out side of body in surrounding water where cross fertilization takes place.

Embryonic development

After fertilization the zygotenis farm and development started. The cleavage is holoblastic and division continue and later develope into larval stage.