Gynomorph Explained

Gynomorph is a word used to describe an organism with female physical characteristics.

Mythology

See also: LGBT themes in Greek mythology. In Greek mythology and religion, a gynomorph was a bi-gendered god with both masculine and feminine characteristics. Gynomorphs were portrayed as effeminate young males, like Dionysos, a masculine god who possessed distinctly feminine features. Gynomorphs retained the creative capacity of female divinities: they had cosmic wombs, but they also possessed the inseminating abilities attributed to male divinities.[1]

Biology

See main article: Sexual mimicry. In biology, a gynomorph is an organism with female physical characteristics, whereas an Andromorph is an organism with male physical characteristics. For instance, some female damselflies show colour variations typically found in males. Andromorphs, by resembling males, are thought to benefit from avoiding male harassment. Some authors have proposed that this benefit is offset by a higher probability of detection for andromorphs compared to gynomorphs owing to differences in body colouration.[2]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: David Hillman. 2014. Hermaphrodites, Gynomorphs and Jesus. Ronin Publishing. 978-1579511852.
  2. Web site: Van Gossum, H. Stoks, Robby. De Bruyn, L. Conspicuous body coloration and predation risk in damselflies : are andromorphs easier to detect than gynomorphs?. July 2004.