Significant Sexual Dimorphism Research Articles

The applicability of Bolton’s tooth size ratios to Chhattisgarh population in India

Objective: The present study was undertaken to assess whether Boltons ratio can be applied to Chattisgarhi population and if values obtained are significantly different from that of Boltons established values, then to establish Boltons standards for the Chhattisgarhi population and also to determine if sexual dimorphism exists in overall and anterior ratios. Study Design: 120 subjects (60 male and 60 female) between 17-25 years of age having normal occlusion were selected. Boltons anterior and overall ratio was calculated on study models and values obtained were statistically analyzed for co-efficient of variation, standard deviation and mean values. This data was compared with standard Bolton’s values. Results: The combined anterior and overall ratios of Chhattisgarhi population did not differ significantly from that of Boltons sample, however significant sexual dimorphism was noted both in anterior and overall ratios among males and females. Conclusion: Boltons anterior and overall tooth size ratios can be applied to Chhattisgarhi population. Keywords: Bolton ratio, Chhattisgarhi population.

Sexual dimorphism of the maxillary postcanine dentition: A geometric morphometric analysis.

The aim of this work was to study the sexual dimorphism of the occlusal surface of the maxillary postcanine dentition using geometric morphometric techniques. This study evaluated 139 individuals as part of five osteological collections from municipal cemeteries in the province of Granada (Spain). The landmarks and semilandmarks were analysed by principal components analysis, canonical variate analysis and discriminant analysis. Only the fourth maxillary premolar showed significant sexual dimorphism; however, cross-validation values for shape variables were 64.44% for males and 63.60% for females and 60.17% for males and 60.99% for females when both shape and size variables were considered. The third maxillary premolar and first and second maxillary molars did not show significant sexual dimorphism. The results show that maxillary postcanine dentition cannot assist in sex estimation, either only shape or shape and size.

Clavicle Morphometry for Sexual Dimorphism and Bilateral Asymmetry: Radiographic Assessment

The clavicle, modified long bone, presents morphological and bilateral variations. This may be due to genetic factors, hormones, or environmental and occupational influences. Anthropometric studies in clavicle of Nepalese population using radiograph has not been reported to best of our knowledge. This study, aimed to determine the sexual dimorphism and bilateral asymmetry of clavicle in Nepalese Population using Postero-Anterior Chest X Ray. Chest x-rays with normal and clearly visible both clavicles of 1260 Nepalese adults (591 male, 669 female), aged above 20 years were utilized. Inbuilt software "Computed Radiography Fuji Computer System 7" was used for measurements (in centimeter) of sternal head length, acromial end length, mid shaft diameter and length of clavicle. Demarcating point and identification point were calculated. Patients having history of clavicles fractures in the past were excluded. All the parameters in male is greater than female which is significant except Length/Mid Shaft Diameter. Similarly, all the parameters of right clavicle is significantly greater than left clavicle in both sexes except Sternal Head Length and Mid Shaft Diameter. Demarcating point calculated from length of the clavicle (right >16.17, left >16.10 for male and right <11.20, left <10.65 for female) and Mid Shaft Diameter (right >1.33, left >1.38 for male and right <0.66 and left <0.67 for female) are important parameters to determine sex. Conclusions:The clavicle shows significant sexual dimorphism and bilateral asymmetry in Nepalese population. The result of this study is helpful to anthropologist and forensic medicine.

Odontometric Analysis of Permanent Maxillary First Molar For Sex Determination

Introduction: Sex determination from skeletal remains forms part of archaeological and medicolegalexaminations. Teeth, being the hardest and chemically the most stable tissue in the body are an excellentmaterial in living and non-living populations for anthropological, genetic, odontological and forensicinvestigations.Objective: The aim of this study is to assess and evaluate the sex discrimination potential of permanentmaxillary first molar.Materials and method: 100 subjects (47 males and 53 females) were selected from outpatient departmentof a private dental institution, with the age group of 10-40 years. The mesiodistal and buccolingual crowndimensions, cusps dimensions and diagonal dimensions of permanent maxillary right and left first molarwere measured from the study casts with digital Vernier caliper. Sexual dimorphism in the left and rightmaxillary first molar was also calculated using formula. The data obtained were subjected to statisticalanalysis using paired and unpaired t?test.Conclusion : Maxillary first molar shows significant sexual dimorphism and can be used as an adjunct alongwith other accepted procedures for sex determination.

Ultrastructure of Antennal Morphology and Sensilla of Teak Skeletonizer, Eutectona machaeralis Walker (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).

The leaf skeletonizer, Eutectona machaeralis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is a severe insect pest of teak trees (Tectona grandis L.f.) in China. To provide some basic evidence for future semiochemical-based management strategies of E. machaeralis, the morphology, ultrastructure, and distribution of antennal sensilla of adults were observed under scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The shape and structure of antenna were similar between males and females, both being filiform. However, the antennal length of males was significantly longer than that of females. Eight morphological sensilla types were observed in both sexes: Böhm's bristles, sensilla trichodea, sensilla basiconica, sensilla chaetica, sensilla styloconica, sensilla coeloconica, sensilla auricillica, and sensilla squamiformia. Significant sexual dimorphism of the sensilla dimensions was found, especially in sensillar length. The putative and potential functions of the different sensilla types are discussed based on the fine structures of the cuticular walls and dendrites of the different sensilla types. We expect these results to help lay a solid foundation for future functional research and develop further investigations of E. machaeralis.

Transcriptome Profiling Reveals the Sexual Dimorphism of Gene Expression Patterns during Gonad Differentiation in the Half-Smooth Tongue Sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis).

The half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis), one of the most economically-important fish species in China, exhibits sexually dimorphic growth. An understanding of sex-related gene expression patterns in the tongue sole may inform sex regulation and breeding processes that increase fish production. However, the gene expression patterns during gonad development in the tongue sole remain unknown. In this study, transcriptome sequencing analyses were performed during gonad differentiation in the tongue sole, namely, at 62days post-hatching (dph), 100dph, 120dph, and 150dph. Differentially expressed genes associated with sex differentiation and gonad development were identified at each time point. Trend analysis showed that gene expression patterns varied over time. These expression patterns either explained common, non-sexually-dimorphic features or indicated significant sexual dimorphism. Transcript structure analyses identified both sex and time differences among samples. This study investigated the time-dependent expression patterns of several sex-related genes, including Dmrt1, Amh, Foxl2, aromatase encoding gene, Esr, and the Sox gene family, during gonad differentiation in the tongue sole. These results might clarify the significant sexual differences during early development in the tongue sole and might provide insight into the mechanisms controlling sex differentiation and development.

Sexual dimorphism and variability in the skull of Martes foina

Abstract Morphometry can help to understand morphology and clarify taxonomy of species. The morphometric variability of the skull and sexual dimorphism of stone martens (Martes foina), obtained from various geographical regions of Turkey, were investigated. Measurements were made regarding 14 characters on skulls of the samples. Adults have significantly bigger skulls compared to juveniles. Regarding their sexual dimorphism, descriptive statistics revealed variability in the size of the skull between sexes, with mean values of males being higher than those of females. The most significant sexual dimorphisms (the highest variabilities) were observed in palatal width and especially frontal width. The strongest positive correlations were found between the basilar length and condylobasal length in males and between the mandibular length and total skull length in females. Furthermore, principal component analysis confirmed strong correlations between some characters of the skull in both sexes. By comparing characters with those of European populations this study contributes to a general model of the skull of Martes foina.

Potential and Accuracy of Hand Length and Hand Breadth in Sex Determination: An Insight into Hausa Population of Nigeria

The identification of an individual in mass disasters and traffic accidents is a fundamental goal in forensic investigations. However, it is suggested that every population needs anthropological reference data. The objectives of this study were to determine the potential and accuracy of hand length and hand breadth in sex determination among the Hausa population of Nigeria. Random sampling was employed to select 204 male and 194 female subjects aged 18-30 years. Hand length and hand breadth were measured using standard protocols. Two-sample t-test, binary logistic regression, receiver operating characteristics curve, and Youden’s index were used for determining sex using hand dimensions. Posterior probability and likelihood ratio were used to determine the favor odds of each category of hand dimension in sex discrimination.A significant sexual dimorphism was observed in hand length and hand breadth with higher mean values in males. The variance of sex explained by hand parameters ranges from 38.50/51.35% (lower/upper limits) to 52.98/70.66%, which were exhibited by right hand length and left hand breadth respectively. The overall prediction and percentage accuracy of sex discrimination ranges between 80.40 to 86.70 % that were exhibited by right hand length and handbreadth respectively. We observed that left hand breadth exhibited higher Younden’s index with an area under curve (AUC) ranging from 91.60% to 96.05%. We found that hand length of &gt; 189.99 mm was indicative of male origin and hand breadth of &gt; 79.99 mm was indicative of male origin.

Machine-learning strategies for testing patterns of morphological variation in small samples: sexual dimorphism in gray wolf (Canis lupus) crania

BackgroundStudies of mammalian sexual dimorphism have traditionally involved the measurement of selected dimensions of particular skeletal elements and use of single data-analysis procedures. Consequently, such studies have been limited by a variety of both practical and conceptual constraints. To compare and contrast what might be gained from a more exploratory, multifactorial approach to the quantitative assessment of form-variation, images of a small sample of modern Israeli gray wolf (Canis lupus) crania were analyzed via elliptical Fourier analysis of cranial outlines, a Naïve Bayes machine-learning approach to the analysis of these same outline data, and a deep-learning analysis of whole images in which all aspects of these cranial morphologies were represented. The statistical significance and stability of each discriminant result were tested using bootstrap and jackknife procedures.ResultsOur results reveal no evidence for statistically significant sexual size dimorphism, but significant sex-mediated shape dimorphism. These are consistent with the findings of prior wolf sexual dimorphism studies and extend these studies by identifying new aspects of dimorphic variation. Additionally, our results suggest that shape-based sexual dimorphism in the C. lupus cranial complex may be more widespread morphologically than had been appreciated by previous researchers.ConclusionOur results suggest that size and shape dimorphism can be detected in small samples and may be dissociated in mammalian morphologies. This result is particularly noteworthy in that it implies there may be a need to refine allometric hypothesis tests that seek to account for phenotypic sexual dimorphism. The methods we employed in this investigation are fully generalizable and can be applied to a wide range of biological materials and could facilitate the rapid evaluation of a diverse array of morphological/phenomic hypotheses.

Assessment of the dental morphological pattern of living Jordanian Arabs suggesting a genetic drift from the Western-Eurasia pattern: A cone beam computed tomography study.

The objectives were to determine the expression frequency and sexual dimorphism of 15 dental morphological traits on the permanent dentitions of living Jordanians, and to compare the dental morphological pattern of this sample with those of 22 groups representing the various geographic regions of the world, for the purpose of assessing the population structure and genetic history of this group. Cone beam computed tomography images for the dentitions of 150 adult Jordanians (67 males, 83 females; age range = 18-58, mean ages 28.2, sd = 10.0 years) were studied in 2017. The traits were classified using the Arizona State University dental anthropology system, counted with the individual count method, and dichotomized according to the criteria of Scott & Turner for the purpose of group comparisons. Fisher's exact test for dichotomized scores was used to assess sexual dimorphism in these traits. Smith's Mean Measure of Divergence was used to measure all pairwise distance values among the groups. Statistically significant sexual dimorphism was found in two traits (i.e., UI1 shoveling and 4-cusped LM1), and apparent but statistically insignificant difference was found in three traits (i.e., UC canine mesial ridge, 3-rooted LM1, and 1-rooted LM2), all in favour of females. This study revealed that the dental pattern of Jordanians is distinct from the other reported Western Eurasian patterns and all other known dental patterns. This differentiated dental pattern suggests a genetic drift for this population from the Western Eurasian Ancestry.

Sex‐dependent pharmacological profiles of the synthetic cannabinoid MMB‐Fubinaca

Synthetic cannabinoids have emerged as novel psychoactive substances with damaging consequences for public health. They exhibit high affinity at the cannabinoid type-1 (CB1 ) receptor and produce similar and often more potent effects as other CB1 receptor agonists. However, we are still far from a complete pharmacological understanding of these compounds. In this study, by using behavioral, molecular, pharmacological, and electrophysiological approaches, we aimed at characterizing several in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects of the synthetic cannabinoid MMB-Fubinaca (also known as AMB-Fubinaca or FUB-AMB), a particular synthetic cannabinoid. MMB-Fubinaca stimulates CB1 receptor-mediated functional coupling to G-proteins in mouse and human brain preparations in a similar manner as the CB1 receptor agonist WIN55,512-2 but with a much greater potency. Both drugs similarly activate the CB1 receptor-dependent extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. Notably, in vivo administration of MMB-Fubinaca in mice induced greater behavioral and electrophysiological effects in male than in female mice in a CB1 receptor-dependent manner. Overall, these data provide a solid pharmacological profiling of the effects of MMB-Fubinaca and important information about the mechanisms of action underlying its harmful impact in humans. At the same time, they reinforce the significant sexual dimorphism of cannabinoid actions, which will have to be taken into account in future animal and clinical studies.

Mandibular Canine Index as A Tool in Gender Identification - A Study in Malwa Population

Teeth are the hardest tissue in the body. Mandibular canines are important tooth in the human body which shows significant sexual dimorphism. Mandibular canine index can be used for gender identification during mass disasters and crime scenes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy with which gender can be differentiated in Malwa population by using the Mandibular Canine Index and sexual dimorphism. Materials and Method: The study sample includes 300 Mandibular casts of people residing in Malwa. It included 137 males and 163 female participants. Mesio distal diameter of mandibular canines were measured from mesial contact point to distal contact point of right and left mandibular canines. Inter canine distance was measured between tips of both canines. These were used for deriving MCI and determining sexual dimorphism exhibited by mandibular canines. Results: The mesiodistal width of mandibular canine were larger in males than in females. The mean difference of MCI between males and females were more on the left canine, thus making it highly significant (P Value&lt;0.001). The standard mandibular canine index for Malwa population was obtained as 0.262. Sexual dimorphism of right mandibular canine was estimated as 4.30% and for left mandibular canine was 5.58%. Sexual dimorphism of mandibular canine is more on left side. The overall percentage accuracy of sex prediction using standard mandibular canine was found to be 65.52%. Conclusion: Tooth remains obtained from crime scenes or disasters can be used for gender identification as this method is very simple, accurate and useful.

Caracterización morfológica de cabras indígenas en el área de Laghouat en Argelia.

El objetivo de este estudio es caracterizar fenotípicamente dos razas de cabras indígenas en el área de Laghouat (Argelia), y evaluar el efecto de la edad y el sexo sobre las características biométricas morfológicas. Se analizarón un total de 312 animales: 58 hembras de raza Mekatia y 254 de raza Arabia (44 machos y 210 hembras). Los resultados muestran que la raza Mekatia se caracteriza por el pelo corto (96.55%) mientras que Arabia muestra un pelo largo (100% para los machos, 92.38% para las hembras). La mayor parte de los animales de ambas razas eran multicolores (≥3 colores). Las orejas semi-pendulares fueron las más representadas en Mekatia (48.28%) mientras que en Arabia, las orejas pendulares fueron las dominantes (79.55% y 75.72% en machos y en hembras, respectivamente). Sobre los rasgos cuantitativos, ambas razas se clasifican como grandes. El efecto de la edad se muestra para más de la mitad de las mediciones con un aumento general del tamaño del animal con la edad (p

Sexual dimorphism and variability in the skull of Martes foina

Morphometry can help to understand morphology and clarify taxonomy of species. The morphometric variability of the skull and sexual dimorphism of stone martens (Martes foina), obtained from various geographical regions of Turkey, were investigated. Measurements were made regarding 14 characters on skulls of the samples. Adults have significantly bigger skulls compared to juveniles. Regarding their sexual dimorphism, descriptive statistics revealed variability in the size of the skull between sexes, with mean values of males being higher than those of females. The most significant sexual dimorphisms (the highest variabilities) were observed in palatal width and especially frontal width. The strongest positive correlations were found between the basilar length and condylobasal length in males and between the mandibular length and total skull length in females. Furthermore, principal component analysis confirmed strong correlations between some characters of the skull in both sexes. By comparing characters with those of European populations this study contributes to a general model of the skull of Martes foina.

Photogrammetric Analysis of Orolabial Region in South Indians.

In lip reconstructive surgery, knowledge of orolabial dimensions and position according to ethnicity, age, and gender are important to obtain satisfactory results. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of information related to these values in South Indians. The objective of the present study was to quantify the orolabial dimensions and position in South Indians. Evaluation of orolabial features was performed on standardized frontal and lateral of 400 South Indian subjects (200 males and 200 females), aged 18 to 30 years. The measured parameters were evaluated by an independent t-test. Significant sexual dimorphism was found in 12 of 13 measurements. Except upper lip reference to E plane, all other linear measurements such as mouth width, philtrum width, lower lip reference to E plane, upper lip height, cutaneous upper lip, upper and lower vermilion height, cutaneous lower lip height, lower lip height, and labiotragial distance were significantly greater in males than females. Angular measurements, interlabial angle, and labiomental angle were significantly greater in females. Clinically significant sexual dimorphism existed for mouth width, labiotragial distance, interlabial angle, and labiomental angle (mean difference > 3 mm). Out of the four orolabial indices, only intercanthal/mouth width indices showed a significant sexual difference. In both sexes, the triangular shape of philtral column was most common. Comparative analysis between South Indians and North American whites revealed significant differences in all measurements and some resemblance to the Han Chinese. The knowledge of the obtained mean values might be useful in the maintenance of the functional and aesthetic quality of this region during surgical planning.

MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE EXTERNAL EAR AMONG THE DAGAABAS IN THE UPPER WEST REGION OF GHANA

The shape and dimensions of the external ear convey information about the sex, age and ethnicity of the bearer. In developing countries such as Ghana, the potential inherent in ear morphometric indices for personal identification has not been explored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide baseline data on auricular dimensions and sex related differences among the Dagaabas in the Upper West Region of Ghana. A total of 263 individuals comprising 116 males and 147 females between the ages of 15-75 years and are permanent Dagaaba residents in Kaleo and Loho communities in the Nadowli-Kaleo District of the Upper West Region of Ghana were recruited for the study. The height and four bilateral linear auricular dimensions were measured using a sliding digital caliper: Ear height, ear width, lobular height and lobular width. The results of this study showed bilateral asymmetry between the right and left ears in both sexes. With the exception of right ear height, all measurements in the left ear were larger than the right. Apart from the lobular indices, all linear auricular measurements showed significant sexual dimorphism with males recording higher values than females.

Three-dimensional modelling of computed tomography images of limb bones in gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa).

The objective of the present study was to model in 3D the detailed morphometric features of the thoracic and pelvic limb bones of the gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), whose natural habitat is only in the Sanliurfa province, by using multidetector computerized tomography (MDCT) images. Materials from 14 (7 male and 7 female) dead gazelles were collected from the Harran University Veterinary Medicine Faculty clinics during or after treatment. MDCT images of the gazelles were taken and saved as DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) files. MIMICS 20.1 software was used to generate a 3D reconstruction of the data, and morphological and morphometrical evaluation was performed. In respect of morphological features, the combined metacarpus (Mc) III and metacarpus Mc IV were the main weight-bearing metacarpal bone, while Mc II and Mc V were rudimentary. On the femur, the lateral condyle was bigger than the medial condyle at the caudodistal end and the medial wing of the trochlea femoris was larger than the lateral. As with the thoracic limb, the combined metatarsus (Mt) III and metatarsus Mt IV were the main weight-bearing metacarpal bone and they displayed a synostosis structure. There was no secondary metatarsus in the gazelles' pelvic limb. Based on digital measurements, the tibia was the longest bone of the gazelles' skeletal system, and there was a statistically significant sexual dimorphism throughout the skeleton at the levels of p<.05, p<.01 and p<.001. As a result, the present study's findings are useful as reference data for further studies on anatomy, surgery and archaezoology, while also being useful for classifying species and for forensic sciences.

Three-dimensional structure of the antennal lobe in the Southern house mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus.

The Southern house mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus relies on its olfactory system to locate the human hosts for blood meals, by which several deadly diseases are transmitted. Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) housed in the sensilla on the olfactory appendages send their axons into the antennal lobes (ALs), the primary olfactory center in the brain, where the OSNs expressing the same olfactory receptors converge upon the same spherical structures known as glomeruli in the AL. The structure of the antennal lobe, that is, the spatial organization of the glomeruli, governs the insect's odor identification and discrimination. Drosophila studies have demonstrated the specific connections between receptors and glomeruli based on the 3D structure of the antennal lobe, deepening our understanding of the relationships between glomerular activities and behaviors, but as yet the structure of the Cx. quinquefasciatus antennal lobe remains unknown. We therefore constructed a 3D model of the Cx. quinquefasciatus antennal lobe using nc82 antibody staining, identifying 62 and 44 glomeruli in the female and male mosquito antennal lobe, respectively, with a significant sexual dimorphism in terms of the antennal lobe volume and glomerulus number. These results demonstrate the structural basis of mosquito odor coding and provide a platform for future studies of the mosquito olfactory signal processing mechanism.

Sex‐Dependent Differences of Mitochondria‐Related Proteins in Rat Brain Microvessels Revealed by Mass Spectrometry

BackgroundMitochondrial responses to experimental strokes differ in large cerebral arteries of male and female rats. However, it is unclear whether sex‐dependent differences extend to the cerebral microcirculation. Therefore, it is important to study the cerebral microcirculation since recent evidence suggests this vascular segment is a major participant in the development of neurological diseases such as cognitive impairment, vascular dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. We performed an unbiased quantitative discovery‐based proteomic experiment to help elucidate the sex‐dependent differential expression of mitochondria‐related proteins in cerebral microvessels (MVs) for the first time.MethodsMVs were isolated from young, age‐matched, male and female, Sprague‐Dawley rats. The population and the quality of the isolated MVs (&lt; 70 μm diameter) were confirmed by light microscopy. MVs were then used for a 3 vs. 3 quantitative multiplexed experiment utilizing tandem mass tags coupled with liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC‐MS). MS data and bioinformatic analyses were performed using Proteome Discoverer version 2.2. and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA), respectfully.ResultsThe LC‐MS proteomic analysis identified 42 mitochondria‐related proteins with significant (p &lt; 0.05) male and female differences. Twenty‐four proteins were more abundant in MVs of females and 18 were more prevalent in male MVs. In general, males displayed more mitochondria destructive proteins, e.g., microtubule‐associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B and mitochondria‐eating protein. Overexpression of neuronal pentraxin‐1 in male MVs may influence the translocation of proapoptotic proteins to mitochondria. Increased expression of monocarboxylate transporter 1 and its chaperone protein, basigin (CD147), in male MVs reflects inhibited glycolysis, impaired oxidative phosphorylation, and reduced mitochondrial anaplerotic reactions. On the other hand, females showed more inner and outer membrane proteins (several ATP synthase subunits), anti‐ROS (peroxiredoxin‐2), and proteins involved in use of alternative fuels via fatty acid beta‐oxidation (indicated by the induction of 2,4‐dienoyl‐CoA reductase, and Δ3.5‐Δ2,4‐dienoyl‐CoA isomerase). Bioinformatic analysis showed the top 5 canonical pathways that exhibit sex‐based differences are mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative phosphorylation, sirtuin signaling, TCA cycle, and eIF2 signaling.ConclusionFemale rat MVs have more anti‐inflammatory/pro‐healing proteins associated with mitochondrial activity than the male MVs. Female MV mitochondria are also more stable and versatile than male MV mitochondria. Finally, our findings reveal significant sexual dimorphism in MV mitochondrial metabolic protein profiles, all of which may contribute to the phenotypic basis for many sex‐dependent cerebrovascular pathologiesSupport or Funding InformationHL‐093554, AHA17SDG33410366, NS094834, U54GM 104940.

Morphometric research and sex estimation of lumbar vertebrae in a contemporary Spanish population.

In the identification and reconstruction of the biological profile of skeletal remains in physical and forensic anthropology, sex estimation is a fundamental step, and is essential to achieve methods that allow the highest allocation accuracy. This study proposes a method to estimate the sex of skeletal remains using lumbar vertebrae. A total of 33 linear measurements for each lumbar vertebra were taken in 94 identified, contemporary, and adult skeletal remains (46 male and 48 female) from the cemetery of San José in Granada. The sexual dimorphism of each variable was analyzed, an intra- and interobserver error analysis was developed to assess the variables with best concordance, and the discriminant equations were obtained through a binary logistic regression analysis. All lumbar vertebrae show statistically significant sexual dimorphism with higher values in males than in females. Equations with an allocation accuracy of between 80% and 94.5% were obtained, showing that the lumbar vertebrae are a useful alternative for sex estimation when other skeletal elements are not well-preserved or available. The differences of biogeographic history between populations could translate into morphometric differences, which means that it is not advisable to use discriminant equations in a universal way. In spite of the high allocation accuracy of the equations developed, they should be applied in adults from populations similar to the present study to obtain reliable results of sexual estimation, until its validation in other populations.