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The Effect of Parietalectomy on Testicular Activity and Exposure to Light in the Desert Night Lizard (Xantusia vigilis)

The effect of removing the parietal eye (parietalectomy) on testicular activity and exposure to light was studied in captive Xantusia vigilis during their period of testicular recrudescence. Half the animals were parietalectomized and half were sham-operated. Each animal was kept in a separate cage...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Copeia 1970-06, Vol.1970 (2), p.261-270
Main Author: Stebbins, Robert C.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The effect of removing the parietal eye (parietalectomy) on testicular activity and exposure to light was studied in captive Xantusia vigilis during their period of testicular recrudescence. Half the animals were parietalectomized and half were sham-operated. Each animal was kept in a separate cage that provided a continuously available range of light from total darkness to full illumination. The lizards were thus free to expose themselves to light at any time during the experiment. Temperature in the cages was held constant at 27° C. The parietalectomized lizards exposed themselves to light more frequently than the controls and at peak performance were observed a third more often in the lighted portion of their cages. Evidence concerning the condition of their reproductive tracts suggested that their reproductive cycle accelerated and that at the end of the experiment many individuals had already completed one cycle and had begun a second.
ISSN:0045-8511
1938-5110
DOI:10.2307/1441648