Polymorphic aspects of male anthropoid honing premolars.

A recent study has indicated that heritage may be an important component in explanations of interspecies variation in male anthropoid maxillary canines. To further test this hypothesis, comparative data for the maxillary canine's occlusal partner, the honing mandibular premolar, are presented. Relative to body mass, measurements of the honing premolar--length of the honing facet, mesiodistal length, and buccolingual breadth and shape (as expressed by the ratio of length to breadth)--show a similar but stronger heritage component than measurements of the maxillary canine. Results indicate that canine variation among male anthropoids has not yet been explained and that quantitative analyses of this issue will necessarily require a methodological approach which incorporates heritage as a factor.