telolecithal
/ˌtiːlə(ʊ)ˈlɛsɪθ(ə)l
/ /ˌtɛlə(ʊ)ˈlɛsɪθ(ə)l/adjective Zoology
(Of an egg or egg cell) having a large yolk situated at or near one end.Maternal and paternal brooding roles are reversed in these groups, with females producing large telolecithal eggs that are fertilized as they are deposited into the male brood pouch....
- Mammals have very little yolk but have evolved from reptiles with telolecithal eggs and, thus, they retain features to cope with the problem of a large inert yolk mass.
- Teleost eggs are telolecithal, with the yolk segregated from the active cytoplasm.
Origin
Late 19th century: from Greek telos 'end' + lekithos 'egg yolk' + -al.