Citation

Huber BA, Sinclair BJ, Schmitt M. Biol. Rev. Camb. Philos. Soc. 2007; 82(4): 647-698.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1469-185X.2007.00029.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Asymmetries are a pervading phenomenon in otherwise bilaterally symmetric organisms and recent studies have highlighted their potential impact on our understanding of fundamental evolutionary processes like the evolution of development and the selection for morphological novelties caused by behavioural changes. One character system that is particularly promising in this respect is animal genitalia because (1) asymmetries in genitalia have evolved many times convergently, and (2) the taxonomic literature provides a tremendous amount of comparative data on these organs. This review is an attempt to focus attention on this promising but neglected topic by summarizing what we know about insect genital asymmetries, and by contrasting this with the situation in spiders, a group in which genital asymmetries are rare.