spermatophore
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˌspɜrˈmætəˌfɔr/
- Specialized
- But in the case of the decorated cricket, the bulbous, sperm-filled part of the spermatophore, the ampulla, is surrounded by a large gummy part called the spermatophylax.
- the male deposits a spermatophore
- deposit a spermatophore
Examples
-
The spermatophore, which hangs outside of the female's body after mating, drains into her body automatically.
Academic text (1991) -
Radio-tracer studies found proteins derived from the spermatophore in the developing eggs.
Academic text (2003) -
Females hardly need to squat; they just pick up a spermatophore on the run.
Academic text (1998) -
While she's eating, he transfers the spermatophore.
Academic text (1991) -
The package, called a spermatophore, is an oblong, sperm-filled ball connected to a thin tube.
Academic text (1991) -
But such success is not without cost; a male's spermatophore size declines steadily with each additional mating.
Academic text (2003) -
As the availability of spermatophores dwindles, the males become increasingly selective about which female they mate with.
Academic text (2003) -
"At the peak of sexual stimulation, the male deposits a spermatophore—a packet of sperm on a jellylike base.
Academic text (1998) -
The nuptial gift of the firefly is an elegant, spirally coiled sperm-containing package called a spermatophore; see photomicrograph on next page.
Academic text (2003) -
During mating, the male transfers a spermatophore, which contains all the sperm needed for reproduction.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word spermatophore comes from the Greek parts sperma ('seed') and -phore ('to carry'), so it literally means 'seed-carrier'. That's why it names the package of sperm a male transfers to a female during reproduction.