EDITED BY M. E. SCHAUFF • SYSTEMATIC ENTOMOLOGY LABORATORY, USDA NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, NHB-168, WASHINGTON, DC 20560 Techniques and Tools COLLECTING AND PRESERVING INSECTS AND MITES: TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS EDITED BY M. E. SCHAUFF* Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA National Museum of Natural History, NHB 168 Washington, D.C. 20560 Contents Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 3 What to Collect ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Part 1. Equipment and Collecting Methods .......................................................................................... 4 1.1 Basic Equipment .............................................................................................................. 4 1.2 Collecting Nets .............................................................................................................. 5 1.3 Killing Jars or Bottles ........................................................................................................ 7 1.4 Liquid Killing Agents ........................................................................................................ 8 1.5 Solid Killing Agents........................................................................................................... 9 1.6 Aspirators and Suction Devices ....................................................................................... 10 1.7 Beating Sheets ............................................................................................................ 11 1.8 Sifters ............................................................................................................ 11 1.9 Separators and Extractors ................................................................................................ 11 1.10 Traps ............................................................................................................ 13 1.10.1 Effects of Elevation ........................................................................................ 13 1.10.2 Windowpane Traps......................................................................................... 13 1.10.3 Interceptions Nets and Barriers ...................................................................... 13 1.10.4 Malaise Traps ................................................................................................. 14 1.10.5 Pitfall and Dish Traps..................................................................................... 14 1.10.6 Moericke Traps and Other Color Traps......................................................... 15 1.10.7 Emergence and Rearing Traps ....................................................................... 15 1.10.8 Lobster or Eel Trap ....................................................................................... 16 1.10.9 Light Traps ..................................................................................................... 16 1.10.10 Light Sheets.................................................................................................. 17 1.10.11 Sticky Traps .................................................................................................. 18 1.10.12 Snap Traps .................................................................................................... 18 1.10.13 Artificial Refuges ......................................................................................... 19 1.10.14 Electrical Grid Traps .................................................................................... 19 1.11 Baits, Lures, and Other Attractants ................................................................................ 19 1 1.11.1 Baiting With Feces. ........................................................................................ 20 1.11.2 The Oatmeal Trail........................................................................................... 20 1.11.3 Pheromones and Other Attractants ................................................................. 20 1.11.4 - Sounds, etc. .................................................................................................. 20 1.12 - Collecting Aquatic and Soil Insects and Ectoparasites................................................ 21 1.13 - Rearing ............................................................................................................ 21 1.13.1- Containers for Rearing................................................................................. 21 1.13.2 - Rearing Conditions and Problems .............................................................. 22 1.13.2.1 - Moisture........................................................................................ 22 1.13.2.2 - Temperature ................................................................................... 23 1.13.2.3 - Dormancy and Diapause................................................................ 23 1.13.2.4 - Light .............................................................................................. 23 1.13.2.5 - Food ............................................................................................... 23 1.13.2.6 - Artificial Diets ............................................................................... 24 1.13.3 - Special Problems and Precautions in Rearing. ............................................ 24 Part 2. - Specimen Preservation.......................................................................................................... 24 2.1 - Liquid Agents for Killing and Preserving .................................................................... 24 2.2 - Temporary Storage of Specimens .................................................................................. 25 2.2.1 - Refrigeration and Freezing ............................................................................ 25 2.2.2 - Dry preservation ............................................................................................ 26 2.2.3 - Papering ......................................................................................................... 26 2.2.4 - Liquid Preservation........................................................................................ 26 2.3- Preservation for Molecular Studies ................................................................................ 27 Part 3. Mounting Specimens ............................................................................................................ 27 3.1 - Preparing Dry Specimens for Mounting........................................................................ 28 3.2 - Preparing Liquid-Preserved Specimens ........................................................................ 30 3.3 - Direct Pinning ............................................................................................................31 3.4 - Double Mounts ............................................................................................................ 32 3.5 - Spreading Boards and Blocks........................................................................................ 35 3.5.1 - Construction of Spreading Boards. ................................................................ 35 3.5.2 - Using the Spreading Boards .......................................................................... 36 3.5.3 - Construction of Spreading Blocks. ................................................................ 37 3.6 - Riker Mounts ............................................................................................................ 38 3.7 - Inflation of Larvae ......................................................................................................... 38 3.8 - Artificial Drying ............................................................................................................ 38 3.9 - Embedding ............................................................................................................ 39 3.10 - Mounting Specimens for Microscopic Examination ................................................... 39 Part 4. - Sample Procedures 43 4.1 - Preparation and Storage of Genitalia............................................................................. 43 4.2 - Mounting Wings ............................................................................................................44 4.3 - Mounting Larvae of Diptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Other Groups. ................. 45 Part 5 - Labeling ............................................................................................................ 46 5.1 - Paper ............................................................................................................ 46 5.2 - Ink ............................................................................................................ 46 5.3 - Lettered and Printed Labels ........................................................................................... 46 5.4 - Size of Labels ............................................................................................................46 5.5 - Label Data ............................................................................................................ 47 5.6 - Placing the Labels.......................................................................................................... 47 5.7 - Bar Coding