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Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the current knowledge about the biology of male reproduction in Chiroptera. Special attention is given to the functional cyclicity and gross and microscopic morphology of the primary, accessory, and secondary sexual structures of the male reproductive tract. The general morphological plan of the organs that it comprises is relatively conservative in gross and microscopic structure. There is, however, variation in the complement and appearance of organs within and between taxonomic groups. Male bats also exhibit diversity in the timing and frequency of their reproductive cycles annually; in some species this may be expressed in a unique functional (dysynchronous) timing between primary (testes) and accessory (prostate, ampullary, seminal vesicles, urethral and Cowper's) sex glands. Permissive to this pattern can be the prolonged retention of viable spermatozoa in the caudae epididymidides and extended accessory sex gland function to effect additional intermittent winter mating by males who apparently retain their libido beyond the fall copulatory period. There are many gaps in the basic knowledge of the morphology and physiology of the male reproductive system of Chiroptera. Only a few taxa have been examined over an extended period of time (one or more annual cycles) in which seasonal changes in the system have been recorded and related to organ structure and physiological function. |
