Question

What will you look for to identify the sex of the following?

• A. Male shark - Claspers borne on pelvic fins
• B. Female Ascaris - Sharply curved posterior end
• C. Male frog - A copulatory pad on the first digit of the hind limb
• D. Female cockroach - Anal cerci

Answer 1

The correct option is A Male shark - Claspers borne on pelvic fins

Male cartilaginous fish (shark) have claspers formed from the posterior portion of their pelvic fin which serves as intromittent organs used to channel semen into the female's cloaca during mating.
The tail end is straight in female Ascaris, while tail end is curved ventral upwards in male Ascaris.
Anal Cerci are present in both male and female cockroach, while anal style is present only in the male cockroach.
The forelimbs in both frogs (male and female) bear small articular pads dorsally at the joints of digits, but the males possess a special nuptial copulatory pad on the ventral side of the first finger of each forelimb. Copulatory pads appear merely as rough patches but during the breeding season, these become thick and sticky.