Some species of animal have multiple spermathecae. For example, certain species of earthworms have four pairs of spermathecae—one pair each in the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th segments. The spermathecae receive and store the spermatozoa of another earthworm during copulation.[4] They are lined with
epithelium and are variable in shape: some are thin, heavily coiled tubes, while others are vague outpocketings from the main reproductive tract. It is one of the many variations in sexual reproduction.
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has two spermathecae, one at the end of each gonad.[5] The C. elegans spermatheca is made up of 24 smooth muscle-like cells that form a stretchable tubular structure.[6]Actin filaments line the spermatheca in a circumferential manner. The C. elegans spermatheca is used as a model to study
mechanotransduction.[7][8]
An
apiculturist may examine the spermatheca of a dead
queen bee to find out whether it had received
sperm from a male.[9] In many species of stingless bees, especially Melipona bicolor, the
queen lays her eggs during the provisioning and oviposition process and the spermatheca fertilizes the egg as it passes along the
oviduct. The
haplo-diploid system of
sex determination makes it possible for the queen to choose the sex of the egg.[10]
^Tales V. Pascini, and Gustavo F. Martins. 2017. "The insect spermatheca: an overview". ZOOLOGY
doi.org
^David M. Sever, Cynthia K. Tait, Lowell V. Diller, and Laura Burkholder. 2004. Ultrastructure of the Annual Cycle of Female Sperm Storage in Spermathecae of the Torrent SalamanderRhyacotriton variegatus(Amphibia: Rhyacotritonidae). JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY 261:1–17
^Jan A. Pechenick. Biology of the Invertebrates. New York: McGraw Hill, 2005
^Jan A. Pechenik. Biology of the Invertebrates. New York: McGraw Hill, 2010, pg. 322
^Koedam, D., et al. "The Behaviour Of Laying Workers And The Morphology And Viability Of Their Eggs In Melipona Bicolor Bicolor." Physiological Entomology 26.3 (2001): 254-259. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Sept. 2015.