Valva

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The claspers of a wobbegong shark (Orectolobus maculatus).
The claspers of a wobbegong shark (Orectolobus maculatus).

In biology, a clasper or valva (plural valvae) is a body part of certain male animals, used in mating.

In entomology, it is a structure in male insects that is used to hold the female during copulation.

Male cartilaginous fish also have claspers. These are intromittent organs, used to channel semen into the female's cloaca during copulation.

In other languages