A
gynandromorph is an organism that contains both male and female characteristics. The term gynandomorph is typically used in the studies of both moths/butterflies and insects. A gynandromorph can have bilateral asymmetry, one side female and one side male, or they can be mosaic, a case in which the two sexes aren't defined as clearly. Bilateral gynandromorphy arises very early in development, typically when the organism has between 8 and 64 cells. Later the gynandromorph is mosaic. The cause of this phenomenon is typically, but not always, an event in mitosis
during early development. While the organism is only a few cells large,
one of the dividing cells does not split its sex chromosomes typically.
This leads to one of the two cells having sex chromosomes that cause
male development and the other cell having chromosomes that cause female
development.
