In article <28v7ou$f8d at news.u.washington.edu> John Reed,
johnreed at stein1.u.washington.edu writes:
>I am interest in knowing whether parthanogenesis has evolved in the male
>sex of any species. I would presume not, for evolutionary reasons, but
I
>would like to know for sure. I would also like to know other peoples
Stand by for a statement from the village idiot:
I think the reason parthenogenesis is noted only in females is
linguistic. Parthenogenesis was by definition reserved for females when
I was a lad. In males it was called androgenesis. My memory is a bit
dim on this because the article I am recalling was read about 35 years
ago. I cannot recall if "androgenesis" was just a linguistic alternative
to parthenogenesis.
Parthenogenesis is derived from the Greek for "virgin birth." I never
took classical Greek and do not have access to a Greek grammer text, but
my guess is that parthenos is feminine. The Parthenon was the temple
devoted to the virgin-goddess Athena.
A quick check with a very large Webster's in a lab downstairs has
confirmed my idea about parthenos being a word that applied to maidens.
However, androgenesis is defined as "male parthenogenesis" and is
contrasted with gynogenesis as the female form of parthenogenesis. You
learn something everyday!
Jim Owens
_______________________________________________________
The Secretary will deny any connection to me if I am caught.
