This study explores the scope of sexual and age‐related discrimination in the hemipelvises of Lama guanicoe guanicoe (Müller 1776), a species that lacks postcranial secondary sexual characteristics. Using two‐dimensional geometric morphometric techniques, changes in shape and size of the coxae bones from 50 individuals of both sexes and varying ontogenetic development from the Patagonian locality of Cinco Chañares (Río Negro, Argentina) were analyzed. The results indicate differences in the shape and size of the guanaco hemipelvis according to sex and age. The study provides novel morphological information on the variation in sections of the coxal bone, such as the ilium body, the ischial tuberosity, and the acetabulum. Additionally, the changes recorded along the dorsal border of the hemipelvis, mainly in the ischial notch and crest, reinforce the diagnostic nature of qualitative traits and metric variables previously described by other researchers as being associated with sexual dimorphism. The indirect evaluation of the biological parameters of sex and age, through the morphology and size of the coxae bones, represents a reliable skeletal indicator that can significantly contribute to biological studies and management plans for the species.
Hernández et al. (Thu,) studied this question.