Objectives Increased use of three‐dimensional (3D) imaging data has led to a need for methods capable of capturing rich shape descriptions. Semi‐landmarks have been demonstrated to increase shape information but placement in 3D can be time consuming, computationally expensive, or may introduce artifacts. This study implements and compares three strategies to more densely sample a 3D image surface. Materials and methods Three dense sampling strategies: patch, patch‐thin‐plate spline (TPS), and pseudo‐landmark sampling, are implemented to analyze skulls from three species of great apes. To evaluate the shape information added by each strategy, the semi or pseudo‐landmarks are used to estimate a transform between an individual and the population average template. The average mean root squared error between the transformed mesh and the template is used to quantify the success of the transform. Results The landmark sets generated by each method result in estimates of the template that on average were comparable or exceeded the accuracy of using manual landmarks alone. The patch method demonstrates the most sensitivity to noise and missing data, resulting in outliers with large deviations in the mean shape estimates. Patch‐TPS and pseudo‐landmarking provide more robust performance in the presence of noise and variability in the dataset. Conclusions Each landmarking strategy was capable of producing shape estimations of the population average templates that were generally comparable to manual landmarks alone while greatly increasing the density of the shape information. This study highlights the potential trade‐offs between correspondence of the semi‐landmark points, consistent point spacing, sample coverage, repeatability, and computational time.

The study of the fossil record is fundamental to understand the evolution of traits. Because fossil remains are often fragmented and/or deformed by taphonomic processes, a preliminary realignment of their constituent parts is often necessary to properly interpret their shapes. In virtual anthropology, these procedures are carried out using digital models of the remains. We present a new semi‐automatic alignment R software, Digital Tool for Alignment (DTA), which uses the shape information contained in a reference sample to find the best alignment solution for the disarticulated regions. We tested DTA on three different case‐studies: (1) a sample of 14 primate species including both male and female individuals, (2) a simulated, disarticulated skull of Homo sapiens, and (3) a real disarticulated human fossil specimen, Amud 1 (Homo neanderthalensis). In the first case study, we simulated disarticulation directly on digital models of the primate skulls and tested alignment quality as a function of phylogenetic proximity, sex, and body size. In the second, we compared DTA to manual alignments conducted for the same digital models. Finally, we performed DTA on a real‐world case study. We found that phylogenetic proximity provides is the most important factor for alignment efficiency. However, sex and allometric effects might also be important and should therefore be taken into account at selecting reference models for alignments. DTA performs at least as well as manual alignments. Yet, as compared to manual procedures, it is faster, requires no prior anatomical knowledge and expertise and allows indefinite manipulation of the fossil items. Anat Rec, 302:1104–1115, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Botfly infiltration is a rare cause of pediatric skin manifestations in the United States, but should be considered in nonhealing wounds even in nontravelers. We describe the case of a healthy 6-y-old female who had never traveled outside of the southeast United States, presenting with a nonhealing skin lesion. The point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) findings suggested subcutaneous parasitic infiltration. This case demonstrates the role of POCUS in identification of subcutaneous parasitic infiltration, and differentiation from other, more common skin lesions.

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