Investigation of the male reproductive system of ground beetles resulted in new data on the total absence of one testis in all species for several clades. Current phylogenetic hypotheses for the family suggest that this peculiar condition, which is not known in any other animal group, evolved at least three times in the family. Optimal visceral packing is suggested as one possible explanation for the evolution and maintenance of this condition. The relative size of various organs systems are possibly related to testis development. A previously posited explanation that herbivory in harpalines caused the loss of the testis in that group is rejected.
Species 1: Coleoptera Carabidae (Ground Beetle)
Keywords: testes morphology
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