Nature & Environment
'Female Penis' Discovered in Rare Brazilian Cave Insects
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Apr 17, 2014 01:57 PM EDT
Four newly discovered species of Brazilian insects have given a whole new meaning to the phrase gender reversal. In other words, the females have a penis and the males have a vagina.
This is the first example in the animal kingdom where male and female sexes carry the opposite of their traditional genitalia. Yet contrary to popular belief that sex organs define gender, biologists don't look these as markers. In fact, they don't look at animal's sex chromosomes either. More so, they rely on the size of the animals gametes to make the call.
It wasn't until scientists analyzed the four species of insects, all from the genus Neotrogla, that they discovered that females carried penis-like genitals called gynosomes.
The female penis is "erectile, basally membranous, and apically sclerotized [hardened]. Its sclerotized part consists of a proximal rod-like extension and penis-like distal prominence. The latter encloses a duct leading to the sperm storage organ," said Kazunori Yoshizawa, a researcher at Hokkaido University in Japan, who was involved in the study, via Motherboard.
On the other hand, males possess vagina-like phallosomes, according to LiveScience.
Yet how do these reversed-roles work when it comes to sexual intercourse? According to Yoshizawa, as the females penis hardens during arousal, it "deeply penetrates the male, and its tip fits the opening of the seminal duct. The membranous part inflates within the male genital chamber, and numerous spines on the membrane internally anchor the female to the male."
Though scientists are still deciphering the how and why for such discrepancies, some believe it may have had to do with the reversal of evolution. As males typically compete for females, in Neotrogla, the opposite is true.
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Current Biology.
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First Posted: Apr 17, 2014 01:57 PM EDT
Four newly discovered species of Brazilian insects have given a whole new meaning to the phrase gender reversal. In other words, the females have a penis and the males have a vagina.
This is the first example in the animal kingdom where male and female sexes carry the opposite of their traditional genitalia. Yet contrary to popular belief that sex organs define gender, biologists don't look these as markers. In fact, they don't look at animal's sex chromosomes either. More so, they rely on the size of the animals gametes to make the call.
It wasn't until scientists analyzed the four species of insects, all from the genus Neotrogla, that they discovered that females carried penis-like genitals called gynosomes.
The female penis is "erectile, basally membranous, and apically sclerotized [hardened]. Its sclerotized part consists of a proximal rod-like extension and penis-like distal prominence. The latter encloses a duct leading to the sperm storage organ," said Kazunori Yoshizawa, a researcher at Hokkaido University in Japan, who was involved in the study, via Motherboard.
On the other hand, males possess vagina-like phallosomes, according to LiveScience.
Yet how do these reversed-roles work when it comes to sexual intercourse? According to Yoshizawa, as the females penis hardens during arousal, it "deeply penetrates the male, and its tip fits the opening of the seminal duct. The membranous part inflates within the male genital chamber, and numerous spines on the membrane internally anchor the female to the male."
Though scientists are still deciphering the how and why for such discrepancies, some believe it may have had to do with the reversal of evolution. As males typically compete for females, in Neotrogla, the opposite is true.
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Current Biology.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone