• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.424-430
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• 2002

Vas deferens is a long tube and could be divided into four regions as its morphological characters: a short and slender proximal region, a convoluted region, a straight and more thick distal region, and an ejaculatory duct, It is connected with the posterior outer horns of the testis and runs to the gonopores opened on the coxa of the fifth walking legs, The proximal region consists almost entirely of simple cuboidal epithelial cells, $12\~28{\mu}$m in height, surrounded by a thin basal membrane. A small aggregation of high cuboidal epithelium is obsened from one side of the proximal region. The convoluted and distal region is composed of two kinds of epithelial cells; high cuboidal epithelial cells, $40\~120{\mu}m$ in height located in dorsal portion and simple cuboidal epithelial cells of $12\~28{\mu}$m in height located in ventral and lateral portion. The ejaculatory duct is surrounded with two kinds of muscle layers, inner longitudinal and outer circular muscle fibers, The lumen is lined with high and simple cuboidal epithelium in almost equal proportions. The proximal region contains mature sperm and basophilic substances. The eosinophilic substances appeared newly going toward the convoluted region and are laid along simple cuboidal epithelial cell layer. Tube-like content (spermatophore) of the vas deferens is ejaculated from a pair of genital pores at mating. Two masses of the content fuse together side by side and are usually deposited on the female thorax between the second and fourth or fifth pereiopods, The spermatophore formed measures $2.7\~4.0$ mm in length and $1.5\~2.7$ mm in width.