Name: Jan Raya T.

Hufanda Date Finished:

Course and Year: BS Fisheries-II Date Submitted:

Laboratory Activity
Comparative Anatomy of Annelids
III. Results and Discussion

External anatomy of unknown annelid

Differences of Polychaetes and Oligochaetes in terms of reproduction, structure and development

Oligochaetes are hermaphroditic and practice a form of mutual copulation. The sperm from each worm's
body are transferred to the other worm (some species have penises) and then move to the spermatheca in
the other worm, where it is stored until fertilization. Polychaetes have separate sexes and fertilization is
external. Polychaetes are unique in not having well-defined gonads. Rather the gametes are produced by
germ cells located in the lining of the coelom or in the walls of the septa between segments. Like most
aquatic invertebrates, polychaetes reproduce by shedding their gametes into the water, and fertilization
occurs in the aqueous environment. Some polychaetes can also reproduce asexually by budding off
individual body segments that then grow into complete worms.