Telomere (insect morphology)

A telomere (pl.; telomeres or telomeron), literally "end piece", is a term in insect morphology, and refers to a type of "genital clasper"; i.e.: in Mallophaga, a part of the genital sac that forms a sclerotized plate on both sides of the penis.

Present in higher insect orders from Orthoptera to Hymenoptera. In adult insects of these orders, genital claspers may develop in two segments, a proximal basimere and a distal telomere.