1. Animals
Ten female H. mabouia lizards measuring from 52.9 to 59.3 mm were collected under license number 10504-1 of Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Nat- urais Renováveis (IBAMA). The carcasses were fixed in a buffered formalin solution (Carson et al., 1973) for 24 h at room temperature and deposited at the João Moojen Ani- mal Science Museum of the Universidade Federal de Vic ̧ osa (UFV), Minas Gerais, Brazil. The experiment was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles for the utilization of laboratory animals published in the Colégio Brasileiro de Experimentac ̧ ão Animal (COBEA). Identification and col- lection of the reproductive organs was performed in situ via a median longitudinal incision in the ventral region of the animals. The collected material was deposited in vials containing saline solution.