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SEASONAL TESTICULAR HISTOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE OF THE RAINBOW LIZARD, Agama agama agama , L, (AGAMIDAE, REPTILIA) IN ILE-IFE, SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA
(Animal Research International, 2008-05) EJERE, Vincent Chikwendu; ADEGOKE, Joseph Adeleke
Seasonal histological features of the t e stis an d e p i d idym is were stud ied in male A. aga m a agama r om Jul y l 990 t o June, 1 9 92 at Il e-If e, Ni g e ri a. Test s w e ig ht s show ed no si gni c ant di f e rence (P > 0. 05) i n t h e d r y and rai n y seasons, but w e re ge nerally low f r om August to January. Whereas seminiferous tubule diam eter and epithelia heights showed no se asonal variation (p > 0.05), t h e epidi d ymal t u bule diamet er and epith e lia height s varied seasonally (P < 0 001 ). Although males in full breedin g condition we re caught all through the months, such were more prevalent from April to July. Female s with egg s or enlarged ovarian fo llicles were caught all through the study period. Cases o f mul tiple clutch es were predo m inant fro m February to J u ly. Ho wever vitello gen c activitie s decreased fr o m August to January thus co inciding with the observed decre a se in sperm a togenic activity in th e male. We propose that indivi dual m a le Agama li zards mainta in pecu liar b r eedin g patterns and that re prod uction in A g ama seems t o be influenc ed by food a vailability as well as microclimatic conditions at oviposition sites