Sunday, September 14, 2008

Specimen Preservation-softbodied insects

Softbodied insects, such as aphids and thrips, small flies, and mites, become stiff and distorted if preserved in 95 percent alcohol and should be preserved in alcohol of a lower concentration.

Thrips and most mites, for example, are best collected in an alcoholglycerin- acetic acid (AGA) solution, and for many larvae a kerosene-acetic acid-dioxane (KAAD) solution is preferred. If KAAD is used, larvae need not be killed in boiling water.

Larvae and most soft-bodied adult insects and mites can be kept almost indefinitely in liquid preservatives; however, for a permanent collection, mites, aphids, thrips, whiteflies, fleas, and lice usually are mounted on microscope slides . Larvae are usually kept permanently in alcohol, but some may be mounted by the freezedrying technique or by inflation

1 comment:

willy said...

please, sir,

uphold academic integrity by referencing or linking to the website which you lifted the contents of this site from.

i've included the pertinent link below.
Kindly do the same for all other pages. On the basis of your conscience.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/site_main.htm?docid=10141&page=7