Posted on 10/08/2025 10:42:21 AM PDT by Red Badger
This spider is a bilateral gynandromorph specimen, a rare organism whose two halves of the body appear to express different sexual characteristics.
Image courtesy of Varat Sivayyapram
================================================================
This pocket-sized new spider is rocking a unique look. Near perfectly split down the middle, its left legs are dark orange while its right is a whitish salt-and-pepper color. Remarkably, this is not just an aesthetic division: one side of the body is female and the other is male.
Scientists at Chulalongkorn University and Ubon Ratchathani University were recently surveying a forested area of Phanom Thuan in Western Thailand, not far from the capital, Bangkok, when they came across a new species of spider.
The species was particularly fascinating because it exhibited clear sexual dimorphism, a term used to describe when males and females of the same species appear visibly different.
Many animals show this trait, but the degree of difference varies widely. Consider the peacock, for example. The male has a flamboyant display of color and flashy feathers, while the female is comparatively plain. Or take the anglerfish, where the female is large and dominant, and the male is reduced to a shriveled, parasitic partner.
Another view of the bilateral gynandromorph specimen. Image courtesy of Surin Limrudee With the new species of spider, sexual dimorphism is very clear: females are predominantly a brown-orange color and males are a speckled white hue.
This difference was made wonderfully vivid when the team came across a member of the new species that was a bilateral gynandromorph whose two halves of the body appear to express different sexual characteristics.
Biological sex is determined by, among other things, the combination of sex chromosomes. For example, in humans and some other species, males have an X and a Y chromosome, while females have two X chromosomes. In insects, birds, and some other species, sex is determined by the combination of Z and W chromosomes, but we'll stick to X and Y in this explanation for simplicity's sake.
The new species of spider, Damarchus inazuma: A male (left) and a female (right). Image courtesy of Surin Limrudee
================================================================
It’s thought that the mechanisms leading to gynandromorphism occur during the earliest stages of development. Normally, as an organism’s cells divide, a male (XY) cell duplicates its chromosomes to form XXYY, then splits evenly into two XY cells. In gynandromorphs, however, this process goes slightly awry. Instead of dividing evenly, the cell may split into one X cell and one XYY cell, for example. If this occurs very early in development, large portions of the resulting organism can develop with both cell types, producing the remarkable half-male, half-female appearance seen in the specimen.
It’s a rare condition, but one that has been documented in dozens of species, from birds such as the rose-breasted grosbeak and northern cardinal to bugs like stick insects and nocturnal bees.
Since the spider is a new species, the researchers had the honor of giving it a scientific name. They called it Damarchus inazuma, named after a character from the Japanese manga “One Piece,” known for the ability to change sex between male and female.
The new study is published in the journal Zootaxa.
![]() |
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
That’s it!!
Oh good, another transgender sex for the mentally ill to pretend
A spider “ladyboy”?
This only counts if it can change the sex-sides at will.
...and whew! the fights it has with itself!!
her·maph·ro·dite
/hərˈmafrədīt/
noun
an organism having sex organs or other sexual characteristics that are not clearly male or female, either abnormally or (in the case of some organisms) as the natural condition.
Wait a minute - what does the poor thing do for pronouns?
It might survive if the male half is deaf.
Female, left; male, right. Makes sense.
We already have senator Linda Graham.
Basically the world of leftist politics today is an awful Ed Wood movie.
The article does not address the scientific question of whether or not the spider (A) only expresses the physical appearance of a male on one side of the body and female on the other side, or (B) if it also has both male and female reproductive organs.
Don’t give them new ideas!!!
Not to mention that in each photo of a male or half-male the right side has only 3 legs. Why am I thinking this is a photoshop or AI hoax?
Not to mention that in each photo of a male or half-male the right side has only 3 legs. Why am I thinking this is a photoshop or AI hoax?
Nice try gender benders.
Thailand, why am I not surprised?
There are lots of lady|boys in Thailand
Thailand?!?
/iykyk
No worries about a weekend date.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.