A female organ that receives the sperm during copultion and stores it until the eggs are fertilized as she lays them.
a pouch-like stucture on a queen's abdomen for storing sperm.
a saclike part of the genital system for storing spermatozoa received from another individual; (=seminal receptacle, bursa copulatrix)
A small sac connected with the oviduct (vagina) of the queen bee in, which is stored, the spermatozoa received in mating with drones.
a special organ of the queen in which the sperm of the drone is stored.
In nematodes: An enlarged portion of the female gonad between the oviduct and the uterus functioning in the storage of the sperm. ( 14)
The spermatheca is an organ of the female reproductive tract in insects, some molluscs, and certain other invertebrates. Its purpose is to receive and store sperm from the male, and it is usually the site of fertilization when the oocytes are ready. Some species have multiple spermathecae.