Rare biological phenomenon in dragonflies spotted in Kole wetlands

Recently, Researchers have been spotted a rare biological phenomenon i.e. Gynandromorphism in a dragonfly, the Scarlet Skimmer (Crocothemis servilia), which is found in the Kole wetlands, Kerala.

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Key-Points

Gynandromorphs are chimeric individuals having both male and female tissues, and are viewed by the scientific community as a genetic aberration.

The spotted individual showed bilateral gynandromorphism of only the thorax, half of which showed blood red colouraton as in males, and the other half had the pale yellow characteristc of females.

The individual had a mix of male and female external characters, ranging from almost entirely female to about equally divided.

Notable gynandromorphic organisms are butterflies, moths and other insects, wherein both types of body part can be distinguished physically due to sexual dimorphism.

Pattern of distribution of male and female tissues in a single organism: A gynandromorph can have bilateral asymmetry—one side female and one side male. Alternatively, the distribution of male and female tissue can be more haphazard.

It is caused by an event in mitosis during early development. While the organism contains only a few cells, one of the dividing cells does not split its sex chromosomes typically. This leads to one of the two cells having sex chromosomes that cause male development and the other cell having chromosomes that cause female development.