README: Morphological Traits of Ant Queens (Formicidae)

Dataset Overview

This dataset provides morphological measurements for over 2,700 ant species, specifically focusing on the queen caste. It was compiled by Leo Ohyama to address the historical gap in queen-specific trait data compared to worker data.

The data is derived from two primary sources:

1. Image-based measurements from specimen photos on AntWeb.

2. Text-based extraction from species descriptions on AntWiki.

File Descriptions

1. Queens_traits_shared.csv

Contains measurements for approximately 1,174 species performed using ImageJ. All measurements are in millimeters (mm).

2. Queens_trait_antwiki.csv

Contains measurements for approximately 1,547 species extracted from original species descriptions hosted on AntWiki.

• Note: While some species may overlap with the AntWeb file, these represent independent data points from literature.

Methodology

• AntWeb Data: Images were manually measured using ImageJ software.

• AntWiki Data: Data was scraped and synthesized from digitized original taxonomic descriptions.

• Taxonomy: Species names generally follow the nomenclature present on the respective platforms at the time of data collection (approx. 2020–2024).

Potential Research Questions

This dataset was originally intended to explore:

• Macroecological patterns and trends in queen morphology.

• Exploration of the queen vs. worker trait morphospace.

• Quantifying the "queen data gap" in myrmecology.

Caveats and Data Cleaning

Users should be aware of the following before utilizing this dataset for formal analysis:

1. Taxonomic Validation

The taxonomic names provided in these files reflect the nomenclature present on AntWeb and AntWiki at the time of data collection.

Recommendation: Users should run these names through a taxonomic cross-walk (e.g., using the taxize or AntCat API) to ensure compatibility with current phylogenetic or geographic datasets.

2. Data Completeness & Coverage

• Variable Coverage: Not every species or specimen entry has full coverage across all morphological traits. Some entries may contain NA or null values where a specific measurement (e.g., Eye Length) could not be accurately captured due to image orientation or description limitations.

• Overlap: There is likely taxonomic overlap between the AntWeb and AntWiki files. Users intending to merge these files should deduplicate based on species names or unique specimen identifiers where available.

3. Measurement Precision

While measurements were taken carefully using ImageJ or extracted directly from literature, standard "data cleaning" precautions are recommended.

• Users should inspect for potential outliers that may arise from scaling differences in historical descriptions or digital artifacts in specimen photography.

• EL1 vs. EL2: Note that eye measurements are provided from two different orientations; users should choose the metric most appropriate for their specific morphospace analysis.