Effects of hypothalamic lesions on courtship and copulatory behavior in sexual and unisexual whiptail lizards.
Lesions of the anterior hypothalamus-medial preoptic area (AH-MPOA) impair courtship and copulatory behavior in male Cnemidophorus inornatus, a sexually reproducing species of whiptail lizard, and male-like pseudosexual behaviors in C. uniparens, an all-female species. These results suggest that, since C. inornatus is a direct ancestor to C. uniparens, the neural structures responsible for mediating male-typical courtship and copulatory behavior in male whiptails are conserved in the evolution of the all-female parthenogen.
Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520.
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Kingston
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Crews
D000818:Animals; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000502:physiology*; D007032:Hypothalamus, Anterior / Q000502:physiology; D007033:Hypothalamus, Middle / Q000502:physiology; D008116:Lizards / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010312:Parthenogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000502:physiology; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity