An analysis of cercopithecoid odontometrics. II. Relations between dental dimorphism, body size dimorphism and diet.

Odontometric, dietary, and body weight data were collected for a sample of 29 cercopithecoid species. Each species was assigned to one of three diet classes (frugivore, folivore, and omnivore) , and indices were constructed to estimate the extent of sexual dimorphism in body weight, postcanine area and incisor width in each of the species. Analysis proceeded by means of the analysis of covariance with the dental dimorphism indices as the dependent variables. Body weight dimorphism was not significantly related to either measure of dental dimorphism across the sample, and an analysis by diet alone revealed that omnivores show significantly higher dental dimorphism than do either of the other two diet classes. The relationship between this result and theories of sexual subniche differentiation is discussed.