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Glite Dictionary
clasper

clasper

1 9.9
A body part on some male animals used to hold the female or transfer sperm when they mate
  • noun
  • /ˈklæspər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : clásper
  • In order to identify male fishes, biologists look for the distinctive claspers near their pelvic fins.
  • length of the claspers

Examples

  • The male shark uses his claspers to grasp the female during mating, ensuring successful sperm transfer.

  • The length of the claspers, the presence of mature spermatozoa in the testes, and the presence of spermatophores suggest that the 275 cm male shark examined in this study was mature or maturing.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Wow, yeah, no mistaking those claspers for a cloaca.

    Deep Blue Sea 3 (2020)

  • "Cause I can see claspers on his anal fins.

    Dark Tide (2012)

  • By beating his tail to one side, he propels his midsection to the opposite side, revealing his clasper.

    Academic text (1995)

  • And what little success they had was obtained by force, the males grabbing females with their genital claspers.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Males sometimes fight by butting against one another, but more often they use their genitalia, which end in a pair of strong, pinching claspers, as weapons.

    Academic text (1993)

  • When he stops waving, he folds his claspers, drawing the female's genitalia tightly against his own to transfer his sperm.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The male embeds these claspers (which are only simple hooks in most male mosquitoes) in the female's genitalia.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Maturity in male hammerheads is signaled by the size of their "claspers," or male reproductive organs, while mature females have full-sized ovaries.

    Academic text (1995)

Synonyms

palpus
vsclasper
  • Specialized
9.9

A small special part on male spiders that transfers sperm to the female

is broader, found across various animal groups beyond arachnids

Surface Forms

clasper singular
claspers plural

Morphology

clasper = clasp (semi-transparent) = clasp + er

Formed from 'clasp' + '-er' (an instrument/agent), but the technical anatomical sense (a specialized organ in animals) is a specialized extension that may not be obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Clasper comes from the English word clasp ('to hold or fasten') plus the ending -er ('one that does'), so it means 'something that holds'. Think of the clasp on a bracelet or a small clamp, which helps you remember why a clasper is a body part used to hold the female during mating.