SEX IDENTIFICATION AND SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN THE SKULL OF THE STONE MARTEN, M R T E S FOINA (CARNIVORA, MUSTELIDAE)

ABSTRAcT Morphometric variation in 62 characters of 84 skulls of Murfes foinu from Italy was anaiyzed. Stepwise discriminant analysis was used to estimate three discriminant functions as craniometric keys for sex determination. The first two keys were based on absolute measurements, the third on absolute and relative measurements. This last key seems to be the best and provides 89.8 % correct classification for males and 91.4 % for females. Parametric or nonparametric univariate methods, cluster analysis of cases, and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to investigate morphological differences between skulls of males and females. In Murtes foiria the sexual dimorphism is more due to the size than to the shape, unlike other Mustelids. The size dimorphism was shown to be related to the measurements of the masticatory apparatus, like in other Mustelids