Storage of sperm in the reptilian oviduct

Female reptiles have the ability to store sperm within their reproductive tracts for extended periods of time. Sites of sperm storage in lizards and snakes include both the anterior vagina and the infundibulum. Vaginal receptacles are found in between longitudinal folds (snakes) and in tubules formed by invaginations of the epithelium (lizards). Infundibular receptacles are alveolar or tubular in structure and are formed from invaginations into the lamina propria of the oviduct wall. In turtles, sperm are stored in the posterior portion of the tuba, in tubular albumen-secreting glands. Sperm may be embedded within the cells of the receptacles, but the membranes of each remain intact. The morphology of the receptacles is characteristic of the normal glands of the area.