I’ve been developing a special interest in weevil beetles and armed with my Coleopterist Handbook I’ve been finding more and more species. Due to the diversity of this group I decided to keep some voucher specimens to aid in my learning.
During the summer I tried to card some voucher specimens for further IDs but found that due to their shape and size, it is extremely difficult to set them well with all appendages showing.
Does anybody have any helpful suggestions that may aid with this please? I guess I will need some specialist tools and a microscope to become really proficient with this procedure, but I’m most interested in learning how best to card such small beetles and the best equipment.
Many thanks,
Bakeracre.
I know the problem. They inconsiderately die with all their legs tucked under them. You need to relax them. You can buy relaxing fluid. I don’t know what it consists of but I think it causes the muscles to absorb water and become flexible. But it would be easier to make a relaxing jar using laurel leaves, which will double as a killing jar and storage. Pull some fresh laurel leaves and crush/tear them. Pack about a centimetre layer in the bottom of an airtight container and a layer of tissue paper on top to absorb moisture. If it is good laurel it will quickly go brown and you will smell marzipan when you take the lid off. That should relax your beetle specimens after they have been in for a few days. If it doesn’t give off a marzipan smell, try a different bush.
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