The male ticks develop 500 μm long prospermia which mature via a complicated process (called capacitation = differentiation) within 24 hours (after transfer to the female system) into a fertile stage (spermiophore). However, when having got contact to the female gamete (oocyte), only the nucleus of the male gamete enters, while the remainder of the sperm disintegrates. The prospermia of argasid ticks may measure up to 1 mm in length, those of ixodid ticks are shorter. Below the outer border of the prospermia many microtubule are arranged to guarantee shape and motility.
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© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York
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(2008). Gametes – Ticks. In: Mehlhorn, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Parasitology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-48996-2_1244
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-48996-2_1244
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