Using a stage micrometer to measure spine length relative to something like head width is another option, but it is really difficult to account for the curves and bifurcations in some of the structures. So how to measure spinescence? Ideally we’d have 3D tomography of representative specimens from each species, but that’s not very feasible. Morphometric measurements from vector images from Eli Sarnat on Vimeo. This ‘spinescent’ morphotype has evolved independently in at least four Pheidole lineages. Among Pheidole ants, we see this interesting phenomenon where certain clades have developed elaborate spines and armature relative to the rather conservative morphology of their relatives. I’ve been trying to find a good method for quantifying just how spiny any given ant species is.
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