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Noun
The male dies immediately after transferring its sperm packet to the female with its palp, a segmented appendage that is used in feeding and copulation; the insertion causes the male's heartbeat to stop almost instantly.—Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010 As a mosquito buzzes toward a potential victim, its nose takes over — or, rather, its maxillary palp, an organ with receptors that help it home in on carbon dioxide from as far as 150 feet away.—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 19 July 2019 The dead male's palp, which remains in an inflated state and is therefore difficult to remove, acts as a mating plug, preventing rivals from copulating with the female.—Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010
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