neoteny

ne·ot·e·ny  (n-tn-)

n.

1. Retention of juvenile characteristics in the adults of a species, as among certain amphibians.

2. The attainment of sexual maturity by an organism still in its larval stage.

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[New Latin neotenia : neo- + Greek teinein, ten-, to extend; see tenesmus.]

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neo·tenic (n-tnk, -tnk), ne·ote·nous (-tn-s) adj.

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neoteny [nɪˈɒtənɪ]

n

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) the persistence of larval or fetal features in the adult form of an animal. For example, the adult axolotl, a salamander, retains larval external gills See also paedogenesis

[from New Latin neotenia, from Greek neo- + teinein to stretch]

neotenic  [ˌniːəʊˈtɛnɪk], neotenous adj

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neoteny  (n-tn-)

1. The retention of juvenile characteristics in the adults of a species. Humans, for example, are sometimes said to demonstrate neoteny by retaining through adulthood the relatively large head and hairlessness characteristic of very young primates. The body proportions of flightless birds, which resemble those of fetal flying birds, are also considered to be evidence of neoteny.

2. The attainment of sexual maturity by an organism still in its larval stage, seen in certain amphibians and insects. Certain species of salamanders, for instance, demonstrate neoteny as they become sexually mature but remain aquatic and do not develop legs. Neoteny sometimes occurs in response to environmental stresses such as low temperature or lack of iodine (which is essential for the thyroid gland). If environmental conditions improve, the organism can often develop into a fully mature adult form.

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neoteny

the capacity or state of becoming sexually mature in the larval stage. — neotenous, adj.

See also: Insects

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

neoteny - an evolutionary trend to be born earlier so that development is cut off at an earlier stage and juvenile characteristics are retained in adults of the species evolutionary trend - a general direction of evolutionary change