Figure 8. Living sperm packets of Pectinaria

Sperm are embedded head to head in a circular rosette and the tails cluster together at the opposite end. On contact with seawater, the sperm packets dissociate into free spermatozoa. Darkfield with Noviol barrier and exciter filters. Bar = 75 µm. See Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 for scanning EM views.