How do male salamanders use spermatophores during reproduction?

In species of salamanders that utilize internal fertilization, males produce a spermatophore, or sperm case, to facilitate reproduction.12

The process typically involves the following steps:

• Production: The male uses his cloacal glands to produce a spermatophore, which consists of a gelatinous base topped with a sperm cap.2
• Deposition: The male deposits one or more of these spermatophores onto the ground or another surface.2
• Transfer: During complex courtship behaviors, the female moves by herself or is led by the male onto the spermatophore. She then takes the sperm mass into her cloaca.2

Once inside the female, the sperm may be used to fertilize eggs shortly after mating, or it may be stored in specialized chambers called spermathecae for several months before fertilization occurs. This method of reproduction is common among most salamander families, though it is not used by primitive species in the suborder Cryptobranchoidea, which rely on external fertilization.21