Rare Half-Male, Half-Female Butterfly Discovered
A rare gynandromorph butterfly, one that displays male features on one side and female features on the other, was discovered in Drexel University’s Academy of Natural Sciences.
Butterflies are beautiful creatures whose decorative wings often elicit reactions of delight.
One such butterfly recently stood out among the rest--it displayed greenish-blue male markings on one side and yellow-spotted female markings on the other side.
It was what scientists call a gynandromorph, a chromosomal abnormality where the sex organs are split in two leaving the specimen with half male and half female characteristics.
This phenomenon is estimated to occur in about one in 8,000 butterflies, and renders the creature infertile.
Humans cannot be born with the disorder.
And it is different from hermaphroditism, where individuals have both male and female organs.
The butterfly was discovered by Chris Johnson, a volunteer at Drexel University’s Academy of Natural Sciences.
While performing his caret
Butterflies are beautiful creatures whose decorative wings often elicit reactions of delight.
One such butterfly recently stood out among the rest--it displayed greenish-blue male markings on one side and yellow-spotted female markings on the other side.
It was what scientists call a gynandromorph, a chromosomal abnormality where the sex organs are split in two leaving the specimen with half male and half female characteristics.
This phenomenon is estimated to occur in about one in 8,000 butterflies, and renders the creature infertile.
Humans cannot be born with the disorder.
And it is different from hermaphroditism, where individuals have both male and female organs.
The butterfly was discovered by Chris Johnson, a volunteer at Drexel University’s Academy of Natural Sciences.
While performing his caret