Pelvis of the striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius (Pallas, 1771): sexual dimorphism and relation to body weight

Morphometric investigations of 821 striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius) were carried out to identify sexual dimorphism in body size and pelvic bones with regard to age of individual and breeding history of females. It was found that body size differs between juvenile males and females of A. agrarius, while subadult and adult individuals of both sexes are of the same size. The length of the pubis is significantly bigger in females, while the width of the pubis is greater in males of all age categories. However, the length of the ischium did not differ in males and females of subadult and adult individuals. The length of the ischium and the length of the pubis differ significantly between nulliparous and gravid, and primiparous and multiparous females. Regression equations were obtained that gave reasonable body weight estimations from the length of the ischium for both male and female A. agrarius. We conclude that pelvic measurements and indices may be used in the study of prey-predator ecology of owls and birds of prey, identifying body mass, age and gender of A. agrarius.