gonopod
Sign in to saveAlso known as gonopods, gonadopod
thumb|One of two gonopods of the greenhouse millipede (Oxidus gracilis). Scale bar: 0.2 mm or approximately 1/127 in Gonopods are specialized appendages of various arthropods used in reproduction or egg-laying. In males, they facilitate the transfer of sperm from male to female during mating, and thus are a type of intromittent organ. In crustaceans and millipedes, gonopods are modified walking or swimming legs. Gonopods may be highly decorated with elaborate structures which may play roles in sperm competition, and can be used to differentiate and identify closely related species. Gonopods g
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- Millipedes
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thumb|One of two gonopods of the greenhouse millipede (Oxidus gracilis). Scale bar: 0.2 mm or approximately 1/127 in Gonopods are specialized appendages of various arthropods used in reproduction or egg-laying. In males, they facilitate the transfer of sperm from male to female during mating, and thus are a type of intromittent organ. In crustaceans and millipedes, gonopods are modified walking or swimming legs. Gonopods may be highly decorated with elaborate structures which may play roles in sperm competition, and can be used to differentiate and identify closely related species. Gonopods generally occur in one or more pairs, as opposed to the single (un-paired) reproductive organs such as the aedeagus of insects or the penis of harvestmen.
==Insects== thumb|220px|Paired gonopods (g) on the male genitalia of Corydalus cornutus In insects, gonopods are appendages of the genital segment that may be used in insemination, or that comprise the egg-laying apparatus.