Apophallation
Encyclopedia
Apophallation is a technique resorted to by some species
of air-breathing land slug
s such as Limax maximus and Ariolimax spp. In these species of hermaphroditic terrestrial
gastropod mollusks, after mating
, if the slugs cannot successfully separate, a deliberate amputating of the penis takes place.
The slugs are hermaphroditic and have a full set of organs of both sexes. They have relatively large penises which, during mating, wrap around each other in a tight spiral. They sometimes have difficulty separating afterwards. When separating seems impossible, one slug gnaws off either its own, or its partner's penis
, so that separation is then possible. No replacement penis grows, and the apophallated slug adopts a purely female function from that point onward.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of air-breathing land slug
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
s such as Limax maximus and Ariolimax spp. In these species of hermaphroditic terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
gastropod mollusks, after mating
Mating
In biology, mating is the pairing of opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for copulation. In social animals, it also includes the raising of their offspring. Copulation is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproducing animals for insemination and subsequent internal fertilization...
, if the slugs cannot successfully separate, a deliberate amputating of the penis takes place.
The slugs are hermaphroditic and have a full set of organs of both sexes. They have relatively large penises which, during mating, wrap around each other in a tight spiral. They sometimes have difficulty separating afterwards. When separating seems impossible, one slug gnaws off either its own, or its partner's penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
, so that separation is then possible. No replacement penis grows, and the apophallated slug adopts a purely female function from that point onward.