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.
[citation needed] 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.
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