Abstract
Abstract: In salamanders in the seven families composing the Salamandroidea, sperm storage allows a female to obtain male sperm months before oviposition. This study reveals the ability of captive female Red-legged Salamanders, Plethodon shermani (Plethodontidae), to store and retain viable sperm for long periods of time. By staging male–female courtship trials, we found that a female’s retention of the male sperm mass is visible in her cloaca for up to 4 d (X = 2.8 d). Given the prolonged breeding season exhibited by this species (>10 wk), it is unlikely that the sperm mass functions efficiently to prevent female remating in that season. In addition, oviposition and egg-rearing in the laboratory revealed that P. shermani females can store viable sperm in their sperm storage organs (spermathecae) for ≥9 mo. Histology and microscopy showed that a subset of females even retained sperm in their spermathecae after oviposition, but significantly less of their lumina were occupied by sperm compared with the...
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