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neoteny |
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neoteny (nēŏt`ənē), in biology, sexual maturity reached in the larval stage of some animals. Certain environmental conditions can inhibit the completion of metamorphosis; low temperature or lack of available iodine retard the action of the thyroid gland, the larval form may mature sexually, mate, and produce fertile eggs. If environmental conditions improve, neoteny is reversible; i.e., the larvae can complete metamorphosis and attain normal maturity. When neoteny occurs in some salamanders (see axolotl axolotl (ăk`səlŏt'əl), a salamander , Siredon mexicanum, ..... Click the link for more information. ), they remain aquatic. In insects, reproduction in the larval stages is known as paedogenesis; it occurs in certain beetles and gall midges. In the midges, the daughter larvae produced within a mother larva consume the mother and escape; the process may continue for several generations. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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All of this is possible precisely because we are neotenic creatures. Neotenic and neoteric are in the dictionary, and Seidner created the words neogenic(TM) and neolytic(TM) to describe NYADS who experience change through creative or destructive processes. |
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