Male Reproductive Organs of Cockroach:
The male reproductive system of cockroach consists of a pair of testes, vasa deferentia, an ejaculatory duct, utricular gland, phallic gland and the external genitalia.
(i) Testes:
There is a pair of three-lobed testes lying dorsolaterally in the 4th and 5th abdominal segments, being embedded in the fat body. The testes are well developed and elaborate structures in young cockroach and they are full of sperms. The testes become non-functional and reduced in old adults but some sperms may still be found in them.
(ii) Vasa Deferentia
From each testis arises a thin thread-like, white vasa deferens. Both the vasa deferentia pass backwards almost to the posterior end of abdomen and then bend forwards to meet in the middle and open into an ejaculatory duct.
(iii) Ejaculatory Duct:
The ejaculatory duct is an elongated wide median duct which runs backwards in the abdomen and opens out by male gonopore situated ventral to the anus.
(iv) Utricular or Mushroom-shaped Gland:
It is a large accessory reproductive gland, whitish in colour and situated at the junction of vasa deferentia with the ejaculatory duct. It has a mass of glandular tubules of three kinds, the peripheral long tubules or utriculi majores, the central tubules are small short tubules or utriculi breviores and behind the short central tubules are some short but more bulbous tubules forming the seminal vesicles filled with sperms.
(v) Phallic or Conglobate Gland:
It is a long and club-shaped accessory gland. Its anterior broader end lies in the 6th segment slightly to the right of the nerve cord. It narrows posteriorly into a tubular structure and finally tapers to open by a separate aperture located close to the male gonopore at the hind end of the body.
(vi) External Genitalia:
Some chitinous asymmetrical structures are found surrounding the male gonopore at the end of the abdomen. These are three phallomeres or male gonapophyses which constitute the external genitalia.
Female Reproductive System of cockroach.
It consists of :
Two large ovaries − formed by a group of 8 ovarioles; contain chains of developing ovaOvary lies laterally in the 2nd to 6th abdominal segments.
Oviducts of each ovary unite into a single median oviduct (vagina)
.Vagina opens into the genital chamber.
A pair of spermathecae is present in the 6th segment.