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Post by africaone on Jun 1, 2011 4:29:15 GMT -8
Does anyone have a technic to set prionid beetles (espacially those with soft elytra such as Macrotomini) that has been kept in alcohol ?
when it dries the elytra become completely deformed !
Thierry
ps : i suppose it is necessary to retreat it with another chemical before being set but I failed to find a protocol !
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Post by prillbug2 on Jun 1, 2011 6:05:40 GMT -8
Probably fats leached out of the body, if the spcimens had been kept there for more than a few years. I always take my beetles out of alcohol, the same day to avoid structural problems. How do the elytra deform? Do they curl up, or what? My thinking is spread them upside down, keep the legs and antennae close to the body. Anchor the body to the flat board with pins on each side, especially at the apex of the elytra. Personally, I've never had that problem, so this is just a guess, since I don't know how the deformity looks.
Jeff Prill
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Post by africaone on Jun 2, 2011 8:51:27 GMT -8
yes, the elytra curl and the they become very much dehiscent !
I had the same problem with plectogasterini that have soft elytra such as N. lujae.
I also thought to keep them physically in the good position but it is a nighmare to find a technic to do that correctly !
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Post by thanos on Jun 2, 2011 14:02:15 GMT -8
Also the elytra of Macrotoma hayesi curl when drying. Try,when mounting on a foam piece, to put pins with a way that they press the edges of the elytra both on uppersides and undersides,so to avoid the curling. I have done it with success,but had to spend a lot of time on the specimen and to leave it drying with the pins in this position for quite many weeks.
Thanos
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Post by africaone on Jun 2, 2011 23:03:03 GMT -8
this is yet what i done with nearly all the African macrotomini I set (some hundreds !!).
in this case, this doesn't work
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Post by jackblack on Jun 6, 2011 1:50:37 GMT -8
try setting the specimen , leave it pinned and put in the freezer for a few weeks in a well ventialted container , sort of a freeze dry method I use .
Works well on a number of things and have dried beetle pupa like this .
After weeks or months take out of freezer and dry as usual.
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Post by africaone on Jun 6, 2011 3:39:34 GMT -8
I thought about this technic that I never used (I am afraid by the time and place consuming).
I tried a combined technic with 3 more specimens with better results than first obtained. I let them 24 h in éthyl acetate, then 24 h more in water and then I set them keeping elytra with soft plastic strips to maintain them in right place.
After 3 days, the elytra discolored but shape of elytra were better maintained (1 specimen seems ok, the 2nd with elytra slightly dehiscent but not too much and the 3rd with 1 elytra slightly deformed).
All was ok the first 24 h (color and shape like in fresh specimens), it started to be bader after !
I don't understand why elytra lost color (in liquid the elytra were normally brown colored and like fresh specimens).
Thierry
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