Mating-induced termination of behavioral estrus in the female lizard, Anolis carolinensis

Mating terminates behavioral estrus in the female lizard, Anolis carolinensis. Postcopulatory sexual inhibition was not observed in females receiving estradiol benzoate (EB) in 10-mm Silastic implants (0.025-in. i.d. × 0.047-in. o.d.). To determine the role of the ovaries in mating-induced inhibition, intact and ovariectomized females received either a 6-mm EB implant or a 0.8-μg EB injection. Ovariectomized females remained sexually receptive after copulation while intact females were no longer receptive. Progesterone was implicated in the regulation of postcopulatory sexual receptivity. Several models are proposed to explain these results, and the adaptive significance of coition-induced sexual inhibition is discussed.