amplexus

1. (zoology) A form of pseudocopulation, found chiefly in amphibians and horseshoe crabs, in which a male grasps a female with his front legs as part of the mating process.Examples: "Finally, we came upon a pair of Panamanian robber frogs locked in amplexus—the amphibian version of sex."; "In the middle, just below the surface, a male and a female were locked in amplexus, a coupling that can last for days as the male waits to fertilise the eggs when they are laid."Synonyms: amplection//amplexion, amplexationuncountable

2. (botany) In vernation, the situation where two sides of one leaf overlap the two sides of the one above it.uncountable