Clasper

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title: "Clasper" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["fish-anatomy", "insect-anatomy", "animal-reproductive-system"] description: "Male anatomical structure found in some groups of animals, used in mating" topic_path: "science/biology" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clasper" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Male anatomical structure found in some groups of animals, used in mating ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Wobbegong_claspers.jpg" caption="The claspers of a spotted [[wobbegong]] shark (''Orectolobus maculatus'')"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Carcharhinus_brevipinna_JNC3077_Male_parts.JPG" caption="The claspers of a young [[spinner shark]] (''Carcharhinus brevipinna'')"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Ischyodus_quenstedti_or_egertoni.png" caption="Life restoration of the extinct chimaera ''[[Ischyodus]]'', showing the presence of a cephalic clasper on the head of males (as well as a pelvic clasper) but absent in females"] ::

In biology, a clasper is a male anatomical structure found in some groups of animals, used in mating. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Spotted_Ratfish_Clasper.png" caption="A close up view of a [[chimaera]] clasper (''Hydrolagus collie''). Note the many small tooth-like projections covering the exterior surface."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Harpagofututor_volsellorhinus.png" caption="Illustration of ''[[Harpagofututor]]'' an extinct chimaera-relative in which males (below) had clasper structures on their heads"] ::

Male cartilaginous fish have claspers formed from the posterior portion of their pelvic fin which serve to channel semen into the female's cloaca during mating. The act of mating in some fish including sharks usually includes one of the claspers raised to allow water into the siphon through a specific orifice. The clasper is then inserted into the cloaca, where it opens like an umbrella to anchor its position. The siphon then begins to contract, expelling water and sperm. The claspers of many shark species have spines or hooks, which may hold them in place during copulation. Many male holocephalans, including living chimaeras, have cephalic claspers (tenacula) on their heads, which are thought to aid in holding the female during mating.

In entomology, it is a structure in male insects that is used to hold the female during copulation (see Lepidoptera genitalia for more).

References

References

1. "System glossary". FishBase.
2. (2009). "The Timetree of Life: Cartilaginous Fishes (Chondrichthyes)". Oxford University Press.
3. (2001). "Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date". Food & Agriculture Org..
4. (1998-04-03). "Great White Sharks: The Biology of Carcharodon carcharias". Academic Press.
5. Stahl, Barbara. (1999). "Handbook of Paleoichthyology Volume 4 • Chondrichthyes III • Holocephali".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::