MATING PATTERN IN THE LIZARD ANOLIS-SAGREI - IMPLICATIONS FOR MATE CHOICE AND SPERM COMPETITION

This study assesses the potential for female mate choice and sperm com petition in the highly territorial and polugynous brown anole, Anolis sagrei, I observed free-ranging, marked lizards for a total of 91.2 h at a site in Coral Cables, Florida over a period of 35 days in June an d July I996. I recorded a total of 37 copulations involving five males and nine females. Most females (75%) had more than one mating partner and this mas due almost entirely to females mating with new males tha t successfully supplanted previous males From their territories. In on ly one copulation (2.7%) did a female mate with a male that briefly in truded from an adjoining territory Moreover, no female moved from one male's territory to another male's territory to mate. These findings s upport the idea that male-male competition for territories is more imp ortant than female mate choice based on male phenotypic traits in dete rmining female mating partners: they also suggest that there is a pote ntial for sperm competition in these lizards.