PROBABILITIES OF CONSPECIFICITY - APPLICATION OF A MORPHOMETRIC TECHNIQUE TO MODERN TAXA AND FOSSIL SPECIMENS ATTRIBUTED TO AUSTRALOPITHECUS AND HOMO

A morphometric method of analysis is applied to specimens attributed t o the same species, using museum collections of mammals, birds, reptil es and insects. We demonstrate a central tendency of the log-transform ed standard error of the m-coefficient (log(10) s.e.(m)), derived from linear regression analyses associated with equations of the form y = mx + c, when measurements of one specimen are compared against corresp onding measurements of another specimen attributed to the same species . As indicated previously, this approach has potential application in palaeontological contexts where there is uncertainty about arty two sp ecimens being conspecific. We recommend that s.e.(m) statistics be use d in exploratory studies to quantify probabilities of conspecificity w hen any two hominid specimens are compared.