Metric variability in the anterior dentition of African colobines.

Abstract

The anterior dentition of three species of African colobines (Colobus polykomos, C. badius, and C. verus) was investigated metrically and the results analyzed for three characters: (1)intraspecific tooth size relations, (2)sexual dimorphism, and (3)interspecific relations. Based on incisor size sequences C. polykomos and C. badius appear to be more closely related to each other than either is to C. verus. However, incorporating the results of a previous study on postcanine dentition the three species appear to be equally closely related. The magnitude of sexual dimorphism in canine size decreases from C. badius to C. verus to C. polykomos. Interspecific differences in the degree of canine size dimorphism may be attributed to differential intensities of male intrasexual selection; however, the interspecific differences in canine size dimorphism do not correspond to the interspecific differences in body size dimorphism.