Further Observations on Arginine Vasotocin-Induced Oviposition and Parturition in Lizards

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Abstract
A single, intraperitoneal injection of 0.02 μg arginine vasotocin (AVT) caused oviposition and associated behaviors in the lizards Sceloporus aeneus aeneus, Hemidactylus frenatus, and Lepidodactylus lugubris. In addition, AVT induced parturition in Sceloporus aeneus bicanthalis, a viviparous lizard. These results, along with previous reports that oviposition or parturition are correlated with regression or surgical removal of corpora lutea, suggest that luteal regression induces AVT secretion. Neither 0.02 μg nor 2.0 μg AVT stimulated oviposition in Anolis carolinensis, whether the animals were kept in a dry or moist substrate. Since previous work showed that the oviducts of these animals contract in response to AVT in vitro, it is hypothesized that there is a stress-induced neural inhibition of AVT-induced oviduct contraction in vivo.

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