What makes a good photo for ID of an ant?

Nature Talk
1

I wrote a journal post about this but I was wondering if some of the ant people could give any additional tips about what makes a good ant photo that I should add to the list.

  • Show the face: the placement of the antennae, the size of the eyes etc. are all important.
  • Show the petioles: (these are the little balls or spikes that connect the gaster to the mesosoma … that is the connection between the “ant butt” and the “ant middle”)
  • Show the texture: The hairs, the surface texture can really help.
  • Give the location: when all else fails location is a big help.

You can use multiple photos to get better results.

I also want these tips to be comprehensible to people who are not focused on ants, so if a point isn’t clear that would be helpful to point out too.

3

Ants are my specialty (pfp is Solenopsis molesta). In general you want the whole ant in view as clearly as possible, face shots are good too

If you can get a top and a side view that is good

Ants can be really specific. Some ants are IDable with a basic photo, others depend on whether there are 2 or 5 hairs on a certain part of the ant, or whether the hairs are 0.03 or 0.08 mm long.

And some are IDed by proportions that are visible from a certain angle, which is why face+top+side is ideal.

4

Also relevant for many other arthropods. Butt and underside are often useful, but typically less feasible to photograph if it is a live individual that one does not want to disturb/handle.