‘This is a classic example of an evolutionary phenomenon known as neoteny - the retention of larval or juvenile features in mature adults.’
‘In fact Neo, as he has been named, suffers from a condition known as neoteny, where juvenile characteristics, like gills, are retained into adulthood.’
‘Among early codiacrinids adaptive forms evolved initially through both neoteny and progenesis.’
‘This combination of characters is best interpreted as evolution through neoteny.’
‘Some species (for example, the axolotl) display neoteny - that is, the larval features persist into sexual maturity.’
1.1The sexual maturity of an animal while it is still in a mainly larval state, as in the axolotl.