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A spermatophore is a capsule or mass created by males of various invertebrate species, containing spermatozoa and transferred in entirety to the female's ovipore during copulation. It may contain nourishment for the female, in which case it is called a nuptial gift, though recent research has indicated that this "gift" provides little nutrient value.
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.
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