0023-6152

AA00697606

23883

Unrefereed

0023-6152

AA00697606

In the greater tube-nosed bat, Mwina leucogaster, after the mating season in autumn, the ovary maintained the Graafian follicle during hibernation until spring, while the ovum was in prophase of meiosis I, and a considerable amount of glycogen and lipids as nutrient sources was characteristic of the follicle cells. On the other hand, the principal site of sperm storage was the uterotubal junction (UTJ), where their heads oriented towards the non-ciliated epithelial cells established a close association with well-developed microvilli. After ovulation, in the UTJ where non-ciliated epithelial cells lost almost all the microvilli, clusters of stored spermatozoa had been detached from the epithelium, and some dead sperm were engulfed by the non-ciliated cells. The block to polyspermy seemed to reside in the zona pellucida, because no spermatozoa could be detected in the perivitelline space of 3 fertilized ova examined. At the preimplantation stage, uterine glands of the mesometrial wall increased in number, length and thickness, and the glandular cells became high and were characterized by accumulation of massive glycogen particles. All microvilli of the endometrial epithelial cells lengthened and were covered by a great amount of glycocalyx.