similar to the other thread, this is a question thats been bugging me. we all know that a mated female can store sperm for, if not her lifetime, then at least enough time to lay a good amount of fertile ootheca. and this can be from just one mating. my question is how does the female store the sperm? and how is it kept viable for so long?
retaining sperm
- Thread starter mrblue
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robo mantis
Well-known member
I beleave like queen ants. They simply put them in special sperm storage sacs by their ovaries. The sac keep the sperm alive almost like the sperm is a part of its body.
Most arthropod females have a sperm storage organ called receptaculum seminis. It looks somewhat like a long tube with a bulb at its end. Some taxa have reduced ones or do not store sperm for a long time, but most ones can store sperm for a certain amount of time. However, the anatomy of the receptaculum may vary, also the amount of time after copulation and spermatophore opening until the sperm moves in the receptaculum, so that males of several taxa (e.g. dragonflies) can remove sperm of earlier males with their phallomeres.
Regards,
Christian
Regards,
Christian
robo mantis
Well-known member
Interesting i didn't know that. Thanks
