-Notes by SSBio, Biology Lecturer, KMC Lalitpur

The male reproductive system of frog includes the organs: a pair of testes (main/ primary reproductive part of
the frog), Vasa efferentia, urinogenital duct, seminal vesicles, cloaca and fat bodies.
1) Testes: A male frog’s testes is present on the front (ventral) part of each of his two kidneys attached by
connective tissue called mesorchium. Testes are present in one pair, yellowish color and oval structure.
Internal structure of Testes: The testes consists of many seminiferous tubules. The seminiferous tubules are
externally lined by a layer of germinal epithelium. The cells of germinal epithelium produce spermatogonia
which undergo spermatogenesis to produce spermatozoa or sperms. The developing sperms remain attached to
the special type of cells called nurse cells in the form of bundles. The space between seminiferous tubules
consists of interstitial cells. The interstitial cells produce a male hormone called testosterone, which helps to
develop secondary sexual characters such as copulatory pads and vocal sacs in male.
Structure of sperm: The frog produces a large number of sperms. A mature sperm consists of three parts:
head, middle piece and tail. The head is large and contains a haploid nucleus. In the tip of nucleus, is present
acrosome. It helps the sperm in penetrating an egg. The middle piece is short and has two centrioles and
mitochondria. The tail consists of flagellum which helps in locomotion of sperm.
1. Vasa efferentia (Singular: Vas efferens): They arise from the inner border of each testis inside the
mesorchium and enter the kidney opening into the Bidder's canal. The Bidder's canal is a longitudinal
canal situated inside the inner part of each kidney. The Bidder's canal is connected to the urinogenital duct
through transverse collecting tubules. Therefore, sperm goes to Bidder's canal from kidney through vasa
efferentia and to urinogenital duct by way of many transverse collecting tubules.
2. Urinogenital ducts: From each kidney, a urinogenital duct opens into the urinary bladder opening into the
cloaca.
3. Seminal vesicles: During breeding season, the lower part of each urinogenital duct enlarges to form a
seminal vesicle. The seminal vesicles store sperms which are discharged only during copulation through
cloaca.
4. Cloaca: It receives the opening of the urinary bladder. The cloaca is a common opening for the discharge
of faecal matter (from digestive system), urine (from excretory system) and sperms in male and ova in
female (from reproductive system).
5. Fat bodies: The anterior end of each kidney has a branched yellowish structures known as fat bodies.
These fat bodies store food materials which are utilized during hibernation or aestivation.

Female Reproductive System

The female reproductive system consists of ovaries, oviducts, ovisacs and cloaca. (The excretory system is
well separated from it).
1. Ovaries: The ovaries are a pair of large flat, yellow colored irregular structures. Each ovary is attached to
the ventral surface of the kidney by mesovarium. (The size of ovaries are largest during breeding season, but
smaller during aestivation and hibernation). (During breeding season, they contain black and white round ova
that can be seen bulging from the surface.) Ovaries are not internally connected with kidney as testes in male.
Internal structure of ovary: The outer lining of ovary consists of germinal epithelium. The germinal
epithelium produce many small groups of cells called ovarian follicles. In each follicle, the oogonia undergoes
oogenesis to form ovum.
2. Oviducts: These are two long white, highly coiled tubes situated in the abdominal cavity above the ovaries.
Its anterior end is a funnel shaped structure called oviducal funnel. The opening of the oviducal funnel is called
ostium. It receives ovum and passes into the oviducts.
3. Ovisacs: The posterior part of each oviduct swells to form a large thin walled chamber called ovisac which
opens into the cloaca. The ovisacs store ova for some time before releasing them into the cloaca and finally to
outside during mating.
3. Cloaca: The ovisacs store ova for some time before releasing them into the cloaca and finally to outside
during mating/ copulation.
(In female frog, the ovaries have no internal connection with the kidneys hence the ureters carry only the urine.
During breeding season, the mature ova are released into the body cavity by the rupturing of the ovaries. The
ova float in the coelomic fluid and reach the oviducal funnels, then into the oviducts.)