I saw a thread about what researchers are looking for and while this question is related it seemed to be a bit more specific or in-depth on that topic.
I am looking for tips from “the experts” in there respective fields about which parts of the organisms they look for the most in speciation. I am asking because I learned recently from a herpetologist some snakes are differentiated by their chin scales. Now if I see a snake I do my best to get a picture of the head as well as the scale pattern on the body.
For instance:
Botanists do you need leaf, seed pod, AND stalk/trunk shots for positive ID’s or is just a flower satisfactory?
Entymologists, are color patterns enough or do you need shots of the antennae and mouth parts?
(I feel like ornithologists can get an ID from almost any picture of a bird I’ve submitted)
What is a good item to carry in my pocket for size comparison when possible?
Etc…
Thanks for helping this amateur help you and gain a little something in return.