A spermatophore is a capsule or mass created by males of various invertebrate species, containing spermatozoa and transferred in entirety to the female during sex. Sometimes contains nourishment for the female and is thus sometimes called a nuptial gift. Invertebrate is a term coined by Chevalier de Lamarck to describe any animal without a backbone or vertebra, like insects, squids and worms. ... Schematic diagram of a sperm cell, showing the (1) acrosome, (2) cell membrane, (3) nucleus, (4) mitochondria, and (5) flagellum (tail) A sperm cell, or spermatozoon ( spermatozoa) (in Greek: sperm = semen and zoon = alive), is the haploid cell that is the male gamete. ... The members of many species of living things are divided into two or more categories called sexes (or loosely speaking, genders). ...
In various insects such as Bush Crickets the spermatophore is often surrounded by a proteonaceous spermatophylax.The function of the spermatophylax is to cause the female to relinquish some of her control over the insemination process allowing full sperm transfer from the spermatophore.
A hectocotylus is one of the arms of the male of most kinds of cephalopods that is modified in various ways to effect the fertilization of the female's eggs.
It is a specialized, extended tentacle used to store spermatophores, the male gamete.
In argonauts, the male transfers the spermatophores to the female by putting it's hectocotylus into a cavity in the mantle of the female.
Spermatophores are composed mainly of water and protein, with protein comprising about 21% and 65% of their wet and dry mass, respectively.
Spermatophores are composed mainly of water (like most components of living organisms), and most of their dry mass is protein.
Spermatophore mass from virgin males increased with male age, suggesting that as more accessory gland material was produced, it was transferred to females and not saved for future matings.
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