The germ cells of anurans. II. An embryological study of sex differentiation in Rana catesbeiana

Abstract Embryological study of bullfrog tadpoles collected from various parts of the United States has shown the existence of local races which differ markedly in regard to the time of occurrence and character of the developmental processes involved in the formation of the definitive testis of the male individuals. Those races in which the gonads of the two sexes are easily distinguished in early larval stages are called differentiated. Other local races show a peculiar gonadic development chiefly affecting the males, the definitive testis sometimes not appearing until near the end of the second year of larval life. Such races are called undifferentiated, because the morphological features of the definitive testes are not established until late. The larvae first develop a peculiar gonad (progonad) which later degenerates and is replaced by the definitive testis. All male animals of the undifferentiated strains exhibit the gonad cycle. The progonad varies among the local frog races in regard to the length of persistence and degree of differentiation attained before undergoing degeneration. Its germ cells may exhibit a typical male maturation cycle ending in degeneration, or the cells may differentiate along both male and female lines or remain sexually neutral. The development and differentiation of the progonad in the various races are described and a detailed account given of the origin of the definitive testis. The problems of sex differentiation and continuity of the Keimbahn in anurans are discussed.