Anatomy of the Cloaca of some Pleurodira species (Reptilia: Testudines)

Abstract

The proposed study investigates the provisions of the openings of the ureters, urethra, oviducts of the female and of the deferens ducts in the males, and the arrangement of the cloacae compartments in four species of the Podocnemididae and Chelidae family. The cloacae, anatomically studied, are composed of three compartments: coprodeu, urodeu, proctodeu. However, none of them is attached to the ureters, because they culminate directly in urodeu. In the species of the genus Podocnemis surveyed, there is a membrane that separates the coprodeu do urodeu, but that is not present in the specimens of the family Chelidae used in this research. In Podocnemis expansa,PodocnemisunifilisandChelusfimbriatus, the urethra inserts cranioventrally in the urodeu, but in Phrynopsgeoffroanus, the urethra connects to the urodeu in upright and ventral position. In males of Podocnemis, the deferens ducts culminates in intramurals papillae and caudally of the ostia of the ureters. In males of P.geoffroanusandC.fimbriatus and in all females studied, the ducts of the reproductive tract and the ureters open into a urogenital sinus. In females of P.geoffroanusandC.fimbriatus, in reproduction stage, the oviducts are projects to the urodeu and form a pair of papillae rounded contours, with a ventral opening. In the species of the genus Podocnemis, the urodeu communicates with proctodeu through a slit. In proctodeu are present two cloacae bags. The passage of the coprodeu for the proctodeu occurs caudodorsally to the urogenital fold.