>>> I'd be interested in learning of literature  that doesn't have
Bookstein as one author.  

Hi Fred,
Although less sophisticated than your methods, I have generated
semilandmarks in two ways (papers cited below).  Since this has come up
on the list, I will take advantage and open my methodology to some
hardcore morphometric scrutiny.

Method 1: Medial axis technique.  In fish I define an axis from the
snout to the tail, go every 20 percent along this axis and project at
90� and 270� to the contour intersection, and digitize a semilandmark. 
FYI, I then use these semilandmarks to test for shape differences among
fish of a given species captured or reared in alternative environments. 
The concept of homology is not very important to me, as I am interested
in capturing shape information in an ecological, not systematics
context.

Method 2: In snails, I have captured the shape of shell apertures by
defining landmarks on the top and bottom of the aperture, defining a
midpoint between these, and radiating out from this midpoint every 10�
to the contour intersections, and digitizing semilandmarks. Again, my
interest is in shape per se - I look at aperture shape differences for
snails raised with alternative predators.

Input from all is welcomed, but I especially would like to hear opinions
from Fred (and Jim if he's listening).

The papers I referred to (available on request) are:
Langerhans, RB, CA Layman, AK Langerhans, TJ DeWitt (In press) Opposite
habitat-based divergence in two fishes within a tropical blackwater
river. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.

Langerhans, RB, TJ DeWitt (2002) Plasticity Constrained: Overgeneralized
environmental cues induce phenotype errors in a freshwater snail.
Evolutionary Ecology Research 4: 857-870.

-Thom



________________><()()(�>________________

Dr. Thomas J. DeWitt, Assistant Professor
Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences
  & Program in Bioenvironmental Sciences
Texas A&M University
2258 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-2258

Tel. (979) 458-1684 (office)
Tel. (979) 845-7522 (lab)
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