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Post by Paul K on Mar 24, 2021 16:21:11 GMT -8
Happy to receive today my first Goliat beetle Goliathus goliatus male 92mm ( the maroon version ) not sure what exactly is this form name.
I did spread some Coleoptera in the past, also my largest catch Titanus giganteus but never had to deal with such a massive species.
Is regular rehydrating working or there is some other technic to make it easier to mount. Also is it better to pin it through elytra ( if so I must order 45mm long pins) or just place it in the drawer and pin it around.
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Post by kevinkk on Mar 24, 2021 18:43:35 GMT -8
I'd call Titanus giganteus massive.. I think any normal relaxing method should work, I used to relax beetles, and never used anything special
that I can recall, Bioquip does carry a fluid-"Barber's Fluid' for cleaning and relaxing Coleoptera, it was backordered the last time I made a purchase.
It's basically ethyl alcohol, ethyl acetate and Benzene.
Personally, I've used the pin around method for my larger beetles, but I don't have giant beetle pins either.
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Post by Paul K on Mar 24, 2021 18:56:23 GMT -8
I'd call Titanus giganteus massive.. Well, my Titanus giganteus is “only” 112mm and this is the only specimen I had the chance to collect at light while in my trip to French Guiana. It was mid February and passed prime season for the species which falls at the end of December till end of January. |
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Mar 25, 2021 5:04:40 GMT -8
You can just hold them in place without pinning through. Keep data on a pin next to the specimen. The risk is the data labels get mixed or lost. Greetings, For really big beetles, I often put the data label onto the pin upside-down, and slide it right up against the bottom of the specimen. This way, one can pick up the specimen, invert it, and read the label, and you don't sacrifice any pin length for a label. If you place a label on a pin beside the specimen, it could become dissociated as Chuck says, but one could do both - pin one permanent label onto the specimen pin, and add another beside it - that way even if the stand-alone label gets mixed up, data is preserved with the specimen. Cheers! Bandrow I am amazed at the size of these creatures. Are these reared or collected? Looking at the size, I would say collected. The larva must be the size of Polish Sausage. I have had limited interest in Coleoptera. And most of that was during my time in South Florida. I would keep most of the beetles that I would collect in my Light Traps. When friends from up north with an interest in Coleoptera would visit, they would take all of the beetles that I had field pinned and stored in Schmidt Boxes. I still retain beetles, however, I only trade them for Lepidoptera. |
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jwa121
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Post by jwa121 on Mar 25, 2021 14:38:04 GMT -8
I would like to second the idea of pinning second labels next to your specimens.
A person looking at some of my Saturniid moths suggested I pin labels next to them to add interest to the specimens by making at least some of the specimen information viewable. The label (or labels) on the same pin as the specimen are of course mostly hidden from view.
One might think of these labels that are in addition to the permanent data labels as "exhibition labels."
Exhibition labels often fit nicely in the V-shaped space between the forewings of Saturniid moths and other larger Lepidoptera. I print my second labels in an easy-to-read typeface called "Arial," in font size 5. I find that a black enamelled insect pin, size 2 or 3, holds the label nicely, and looks good too.
Exhibition labels remind people they are looking at meaningful entomological specimens, not mere decorative objects.
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Post by trehopr1 on Mar 25, 2021 17:39:34 GMT -8
Actually, the idea of placing duplicate labels next to specimens with original labels has been a long running practice at Oxford University in England.
One of our forum members Nomad has posted numerous photos from Oxford's collections which date back to the middle and late 1700's; and all those specimens (I've ever seen) in his photographs are done in this manner. Specifically to prevent any unnecessary movement of specimens (if possible)...
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jwa121
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Post by jwa121 on Mar 25, 2021 22:58:37 GMT -8
Thanks for your follow-up comment. Yes, to avoid having to move specimens unnecessarily is another good reason to make use of readily viewable secondary data labels. As you mention, the practice would especially benefit large, institutional research collections.
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Post by exoticimports on Mar 26, 2021 7:41:07 GMT -8
That would indeed avoid my pressing my face to the glass in attempt to read a label.
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Mar 26, 2021 8:19:51 GMT -8
I have used double location labels with some regularity, especially when working with rare or special specimens to avoid handling.
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