Obligatory sperm storage in the lizard Sceloporus grammicus

Abstract

The oviduct anatomy of Sceloporus grammicus is similar to that described for other species of lizards, consisting of an anterior infundibulum with tube, a middie uterus and a posterior vagina. The oviductal wall consiste of an outer serosa, a middie layer of smooth muscle, and an inner mucosa lined wíth simple ciliated epithelium. The mucosa in the vagina is folded longitudinally, the folds projecting inward into the lumen. large masses of sperm were present during September and October at the base of the folds and ín small blind invaginations of the epíthelium. Sínce mating occurs during summer and females ovulate in the fall, delayed fertilizatíon is obligatory in S. grammicus.