Adults from most insect orders are normally mounted on pins. Exceptions are soft-bodied adults (e.g. Isoptera) or very tiny adults (e.g. Thysanoptera) that are preserved in alcohol in vials. Small Adult Specimens (too small to put a pin through without destroying it) are mounted on triangular points as shown in the video “Mounting Small Insects”
-For general pinning see “How to Pin an Insect” (above); for spreading wings of most Lepidoptera and Odonata see “Instructions for Spreading Insect Wings”
-remember the 1 cm “handle” (i.e. don’t want specimen too high or too low on pin)
-Where exactly the pin goes for each insect type is shown in the “Correct Pin Position” tab (above)
-QUESTIONS? See Lab 1 Exercise on the Moodle site
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-See video on “Mounting Small Insects“.
-Adult insects too small to pin may be glued to pinned paper points (available in lab).
-Use clear nail polish as glue to firmly attach the bent tip of the point to the insect’s right side just above the middle right leg (mesothorax)
-The insect should be dorsal side up.
-If you use too much glue or glue your insect to the top of the point, you may be covering up characters that will prevent identification
-QUESTIONS? See Lab 1 Exercise on the Moodle site.
© 2015 ENT 425 - General Entomology
