Spermatophore

A spermatophore (from Greek spermato 'seed' and -phore 'bearer') or sperm ampulla is a capsule or mass containing spermatozoa created by males of various animal species, especially salamanders and arthropods, and transferred in entirety to the female's ovipore during reproduction.

[1][2] In the case of the toxic moth Utetheisa ornatrix, the spermatophore includes sperm, nutrients, and pyrrolizidine alkaloids which prevent predation because it is poisonous to most organisms.

Examples include the speckled wood butterfly[6] or the ornate moth, where males invest up to 10% of their body mass in creating a single spermatophore.

[8] These butterfly species have been known to use mud-puddling behavior, as demonstrated by Dryas iulia, to obtain the minerals needed in spermatophore production.

[11] In some cephalopods, like the argonaut octopus, the arm is detachable and capable of autonomous movement and prolonged survival inside the female, to the point that it was mistaken for a parasitic worm by George Cuvier, who gave the hectocotylus (Latin: "hundred" "hollow thing") its name.