REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE OF FEMALE COMMON INDIAN ROCK LIZARD, PSAMMOPHILUS BLANFORDANUS: SEASONAL OVARY AND OVIDUCT HISTOLOGY

Abstract

The lizard Psammophilus (Reptilia: Diapsida: Agamidae) is commonly called as rock lizard. It has only been reported that female P. blanfordanus is a seasonal breeder otherwise research on its reproduction is limited. Therefore, to investigate the relationship between environmental and reproductive behaviour, studies on gonadosomatic index (GSI), histology and histometry of ovary and oviduct were undertaken. The GSI, relative weight of ovaries (ROW) and oviducts (ROiW) are highest during the breeding season. The ROW and ROiW are positively correlated with temperature, rainfall and relative humidity (RH). The histology and histometry of ovary and oviducts show that the breeding season in this animal is from April to June/July and sometimes extends to early August. During this period the diameter of oocyte, oviduct and oviduct glandular layer is increased. The thickness
of oviduct glandular is also increased but thickness of oviduct muscle layer is decreased. The reproductive cycle of this animal is associate type. The study will be helpful in understanding its evolutionary adaptability to different seasons.