(from “homo-” and “gamete”), genetic equivalence of the gametes of one of the sexes (male or female) as to the type of sex chromosome that is carried by each gamete of the given sex (homogametic sex). In the majority of animals and dioecious plants, homogamety is characteristic of the female sex. Exceptions are birds, all Lepidoptera (butterflies), and certain reptiles, amphibians, and fishes, in which homogamety is characteristic of the male sex.