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Post by Khalid Fadil on Sept 27, 2011 21:47:10 GMT -8
A while ago, I received packets of really small Lycaenids from Andreas Urban when I met up with him during his trip to Malaysia. I've kept them as such till now mainly because I don't know what to do with them! They're so small and I honestly don't know how to spread them without completely destroying them. But, at the same time, I can't stand seeing them unspread like that. Furthermore, these specimens are dried. Fresh micro leps I can still spread. But, dried? Oh, dear...
Any ideas, good people?
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Post by Chris Grinter on Sept 28, 2011 1:17:01 GMT -8
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Post by anthony on Sept 28, 2011 13:12:35 GMT -8
Patience plus warm water plus time and you will win.
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Post by nomihoudai on Sept 28, 2011 13:20:42 GMT -8
No warm water please, Lycaenidae tend to get awfully greasy if I have understood correctly and their colors will look horrible. I had many problems with them in the past.
@khalid, use Chris method, I couldn't add anything else now. I use the same system but I simply have a large flat container with styrofoam floating on plain water.
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Post by prillbug2 on Sept 28, 2011 14:25:18 GMT -8
Use cold water, keep the specimens in the envelopes, and check them after 24 hours. I use tupper ware as the relaxing chamber. You will need spreading boards with the grooves just wide enough for the body to fit into it, so that they don't swivel very much. A size 0-000 pin wedged between the abdomen and the base of the hindwing will prevent swiveling, too.
Jeff Prill
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Post by Khalid Fadil on Sept 29, 2011 17:02:49 GMT -8
Alright, that was just about relaxing them. What about spreading them? My forceps are obviously too large for these wings!
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Post by suzuki on Sept 30, 2011 6:05:58 GMT -8
Use a setting needle or a long thin pin to move the wings
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