An Application of the Linear Discriminant Function to Insect Taxonomy

Abstract

This paper is a report an the applicability of the linear discriminant function to insect taxonomy. Mather and Dobzhansky (1939) and Cox (1953) applied this technique to problems in insect taxonomy, but the former study was concerned with detecting a difference between samples, and the latter used the function only secondarily. In this paper, discriminant functions were calculated from several combinations of linear characters in males of two closely related species of grasshopper, Arphia pseadonietana (Thomas) and A. conspersa Scudder, to determine: (a) whether a reliable criterion could be found for relatively inexperienced workers to determine individual specimens with a predictable degree of precision; and (b) which characters, or combination of characters, would provide the most reliable criteria.