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Male Reproductive System

The male nematodes may have one lestis (monorchic) or two testis (diorchic). Usually, there is a single testis in the male. However, when two testes occur, these are oppositely oriented, except in the genus Meloidogyne where they are parallel. When two testes are present, one usually extends forward and the other in the backward direction in the body cavity, but they join medially in the vas deferens, which runs posteriorly ventral to the intestine and finally narrows down to an ejaculatory duct which opens in the rectum to form a cloaca. The main part of the male reproductive duct is the vas deferens which is usually composed of tubular and glandular regions. The testis can be divided into germinal and growth zones. The maturation of the sperms takes place at the end of the growth zone. The sperms may be amoeboid, rounded, flagellate or conical. With fewer exceptions (for example in the genus Trichinella), the males are provided with copulatory spicules. Often the spicules are accompanied by an accessory piece, the gubernaculum, which is formed by the sclerotisation of the dorsal wall of the spicule pouch.