THE INSECTS AND ARACHNIDS OF CANADA PART 1 Collecting, Preparing and Preserving Insec Mites, and pide Agriculture Canada THE INSECTS AND ARACHNIDS OF CANADA PART 1 Collecting, Preparing, and Preserving Insects, Mites, and Spiders Compiled by J. E. H. Martin Biosystcmatics Research Institute Ottawa, Ontario Research Branch Canada Department of Agriculture Publication 1643 1977 ©Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1978 Available by mail from Printing and Publishing Supply and Services Canada Hull, Quebec, Canada KIA OS9 or through your bookseller. Catalogue No. A42-421l977-1 Canada: $3.50 ISBN 0-660-01650-8 Other countries: $4.20 Price subject to change without notice. Printed by Kromar Printing Ltd. 02KT.OIA05-7-38911 The Insects and Arachnids of Canada. Part 2. The Bark Beetles of Canada and Alaska (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), by Donald E. Bright, Jr., Biosystematics Research Institute, Ottawa, was published in 1976. Part 3. The Aradidae of Canada (Hemiptera: Aradidae), by Ryuichi Matsuda, Biosystematics Research Institute, Ottawa, was published in 1977. Part 4. The Anthocoridae of Canada and Alaska (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae), by Leonard A. Kelton, Biosystematics Research Institute, Ottawa, is in press. Contents Foreword 9 Introduction 11 Equipment and methods for collecting 11 General-purpose nets 11 Nets for flying insects 14 Lights and light traps 15 Baits and bait traps 20 Other traps for flying insects 23 Malaise traps 23 Window traps 28 Tent-window traps 28 Visual-attraction traps 30 Pan traps 30 Baits 31 Sweeping 33 Beating 34 Emergence cages and separators 40 Searching 42 Barking 42 Mammal nests 43 Aspirator 43 Collecting leafmining insects 46 Collecting and extracting arthropods from debris 47 Berlese funnel 47 Sifter and photoeclector 54 Collecting and extracting burrowing and boring arthropods 56 Collecting aquatic insects and mites 57 Aquatic traps 63 Lentic environment traps ,.......................................................... 63 Surface emergence traps 64 Tow traps 65 Benthonic samplers 65 Lotic environments 66 Collecting ectoparasites of vertebrates 67 Collecting mites associated with invertebrates 69 Rearing 70 Killing agents and killing bottles 73 Equipment and methods for preserving and mounting 79 Relaxing 79 Cleaning 81 Temporary storage in papers 82 Temporary storage by refrigeration 84 Temporary storage by layering 85 Direct pinning 85 Double mounting 90 Spreading .. 90 Adhesives and pointing 94 Preservation in liquids 98 Dry preservation of soft-bodied insects 101 Microscopical preparations 102 Insects 102 5 Mites 107 Data labels 109 Storage and care of collections 113 Storage and care of pinned insects 113 Storage of a collection preserved in liquid 116 Storage of microscope slides 116 Packing insects and arachnids for shipment 118 Studying the collection 122 Applying the methods 124 Thysanura 124 Diplura 125 Collembola and Protura 125 Orthoptera and Dermaptera 125 Plecoptera 128 Isoptera 128 Corrodentia 128 Mallophaga 128 Anoplura 129 Ephemeroptera 130 Odonata 131 Thysanoptera 132 Hemiptera (including Heteroptera and Homoptera) 133 Preserving and mounting Hemiptera 134 Preserving and mounting Aphidoidea, Coccoidea, and Aleyrodoidea : 135 Megaloptera 136 Neuroptera 137 Mecoptera 137 Trichoptera 137 Lepidoptera 138 Coleoptera 142 Strepsiptera 145 Hymenoptera 146 Symphyta 146 Ichneumonoidea 147 Microhymenoptera 148 Apoidea, Sphecoidea, Vespoidea, Scolioidea 151 Formicidae 151 Diptera 152 Collecting adults 152 Assembly sites 153 Artificial light 153 Sunlight 153 Traps 153 Chemicals 154 Unbaited traps 154 Pan traps 155 Preserving and mounting 155 Pinning 155 Freeze-drying 156 Double mounts 156 Pinning from alcohol 156 Dissected genitalia 157 Microscopic mounts 157 Collecting and rearing immature stages 157 6 Aquatic larvae 158 Leafminers 158 Soil-dwelling larvae 158 Larvae in decaying vegetation 159 Carrion and dung feeders : 0 159 Parasites 159 Aphid predators 159 Larval and pupal exuviae 159 Siphonaptera 161 Acari (mites) 162 Ixodides 167 Araneae 167 Formulas 169 References 172 Index 175 7 Foreword This publication replaces Collecting, Preparing and Preserving Insects. Canada Department of Agriculture Publication 932, compiled by Bryan P. Beirne and published in ]955. This text was prepared by members of the zoology staff of the Biosystematics Research Institute, except for a contribu­ tion on the order Orthoptera by Dr. V. R. Vickery of Macdonald College, McGill University, Montreal, Que. This guide to collecting and preserving has a dual objective: to acquaint amateur entomologists or potential amateurs with the basic methods of obtaining insect and arthropod material and preparing a collection; and to serve as a guide to both amateur and professional entomologists on how to prepare material before submitting it to the National Identification Service of the Biosystematics Research Institute. Address your inquiries regarding the identification of insects to: Officer-in-Charge National Identification Service Biosystematics Research Institute Agriculture Canada Ottawa, Ontario KIA OC6 This publication is Part 1 of the Canadian faunaI series, The Insects and Arachnids of Canada. The series will treat various groups of arthropods occurring in Canada. Difficulty with the preparation of suitable illustrations delayed the publication of this volume, and therefore it has been preceded by Part 2 in the series, The Bark Beetles of Canada and Alaska, which was published in 1976. Several additional manuscripts have been completed and will soon be published as further parts of the Canadian faunal series. Contributions by the following people to the preparation of this book are acknowledged. John E. H. Martin assumed the task of compiling the various submissions and of preparing several of the chapters. Dr. E. E. Lindquist and G. E. Shewell made extensive contributions to the text. Susan Rigby and Bernard Baker prepared the illustrations. Drs. G. P. Holland, E. C. Becker, and W. R. Richards reviewed the manuscript in its early stages, and the Editorial Committee of the Canadian faunal series, Drs. D. E. Bright, C. D. Dondale, and D. R. Oliver, reviewed the final typescript. D. M. Archibald of the Research Program Service made a material contribution to this volume by her constructive editing of the manuscript. D. F. Hardwick Director Biosystematics Research Institute 9 Introduction In entomology the main reason for using various collecting methods and equipment is to obtain specimens of all kinds of insects, mites, and spiders in the easiest and most effective way. The chief aim of using various methods and equipment for preparing and preserving insects is to preserve the specimens in a natural, undamaged, and undistorted condition. The methods and equipment described in this publication have been found satis­ factory. However, because none accomplishes its objective completely, each one may be improved or adapted to new conditions. Moreover, new methods and equipment are continually being developed. To assist in improving and developing new techniques, the principles, advantages, and disadvantages of the best-known methods and equipment are described here. Equipment and methods for collecting Various methods of collecting may be used to collect insects from each of the 10 environmental situations in which insects occur. Insects are found in the air; in fresh or brackish water; on the foliage or stems of trees and shrubs; on low-growing plants; on the ground or near the roots of low­ growing plants; internally in plants, plant products, seeds, and fruit; among debris; in the nests or habitations of animals and man; in the soil; and on or in other insects or animals. Because certain collecting methods and situations or environments at times may produce insects in large numbers, they are preferred to the methods, situations, and times that are less productive quan­ titatively but that may produce species that otherwise are rarely captured. The latter methods must be used, however, in order to complete a survey of the insect fauna of a region, locality, habitat, or plant, or a collection of a particular insect group. Collecting may be merely a matter of picking up the insects with your fingers after you have watched their habits and discovered their habitats. However, obtaining specimens quickly and in large numbers often requires extensive field observations and special collecting equipment. Some kinds of equipment operate on the principle of extracting the insects manually or mechanically from the situations in which they occur; others concentrate or trap the insects by taking advantage of their normal movements or of their reactions to light, gravity, heat, moisture, and odors. General-purpose nets Nets are useful for catching flying and aquatic insects and for sweeping up insects from vegetation. If you intend to collect by only one of these methods, then use a net designed for that specific method. These specially designed nets are described under their appropriate headings: "Nets for Flying Insects" on p. 14, "Collecting Aquatic Insects and Mites" on p. 57, and II "Sweeping" on p. 33. The differences in design consist of modifications of some or all of the three main parts of the net: the ring, the bag, and the handle. General-purpose nets can be used for various kinds of collecting by merely changing the bag. Use a net with a ring that detaches from the handle so that the bag can be replaced easily when it wears out, gets wet, torn, dirty, or has to be changed for one of another material. A folding ring (Fig. 1) is easy to carry when you are traveling. A simple net (Fig. 2) has a 38 cm (15 in.) ring of about 3 mm (1/8 in.) iron or steel wire. The ends of the wire are straight and fit into grooves in the handle; their tips are bent inward to fit into holes in the handle. The ends may be held in place by binding them firmly with insulating or adhesive tape or by using a sliding metal sleeve. The use of a sliding metal sleeve makes the ring easier to remove from the handle. Perhaps the best net for general purposes is the kind that is used as a fisherman's landing net (Fig. 3), though you may find it heavy to carry.