The Male Urogenital System of a Salamander Ranodon sibiricus (Amphibia, Caudata)

Abstract

The male urogenital system of salamanders varies both among families and within them. To understand diversity of this system in hynobiids, we studied the gross anatomy and histology of the male urogenital system of a mountainous rheophilic salamander, Ranodon sibiricus. Males had single-lobed, lobular-cystic testes which were characterized by the presence of ‘lobular waves’. The sperm transport system included the vasa efferentia, longitudinal collecting ducts of the vasa efferentia, the genital kidneys, and Wolffian ducts leading to the cloaca. There were also rudimentary Müllerian ducts. The cloaca contained ventral glands. The structure of the male urogenital system of R. sibiricus was similar to the genera Batrachuperus, Hynobius, and Salamandrella.