Researchers from the University of Derby and the University of Cambridge in Britain have discovered that the Tuberous bushcricket (Platycleis affinis) has testes which are 14 percent of the male body mass, setting a world record.
The lead researcher for the team that made the discovery said, "We couldn't believe the size of these organs, they seemed to fill the entire abdomen."
"We are also interested in the reason why they are so large," the researcher added. "An almost universal evolutionary rule appears to be that such variation in relative testes size is linked to female mating behavior; testes tend to be larger in species where females are more promiscuous, as has been demonstrated in various species in fish, birds, insects and mammals."
It was also discovered that the huge testes on the bushcricket did not translate into greater sperm production. A type of fruit fly may still hold the world's record for the longest and must abundant sperm.
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