noun
- A pore or opening through which reproductive cells or gametes are released in certain aquatic animals, especially echinoderms and some mollusks.
Usage: biology; zoology; technical
Examples
- The starfish releases its eggs through the gonopore during spawning season.
- Marine biologists examined the gonopores of the sea urchin under the microscope.
- Each arm of the brittle star contains a pair of gonopores for reproduction.
- The gonopore is typically located on the oral surface of echinoderms.
- Researchers identified the gonopore as the primary reproductive opening in the specimen.