Special Collection: Current Techniques in Morphology
Insect Systematics and Diversity is pleased to announce the publication of a new special collection, Current Techniques in Morphology. The collection gathers articles illustrating cutting-edge research techniques in insect morphology and phylogenetics, including videos, interactive 3D images, and augmented reality.
All papers in the collection are freely available to read and download for a limited time.
An introduction to current techniques in morphology and the special collection.
The history of phylogenetic models and an explanation of the application of Bayesian methods to discretely-scored comparative observations of morphology are provided, and recent steps in the integration of “ontogeny-aware” phylogenetic models which account for gene regulatory networks and employ ontological structuring in character definitions are discussed.
An example of an “ontogeny-aware” phylogenetic model that accounts for gene regulatory networks and employs ontological structuring in character definitions.
Using confocal laser scanning microscopy corroborated with transcriptomic data, silk production in the first larval instar of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, is documented for the first time.
Four types of leg locking mechanisms in the femorotibial joints of insects are revealed with a battery of methods spanning the advanced (micro-computed tomography, confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, photomicrography) and traditional (manual dissection).
Using micro-computed tomography scan data, the utility of a traditional character for the genus, that of antennomere count, is overturned, and the anatomy of a bizarre modification of the frontoclypeal complex is investigated.
The possibilities and reach of cybertype interaction through an augmented-reality application for mobile devices is explored.
