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Issue: Vol. 4657 No. 2: 19 Aug. 2019
Type: Article
Published: 2019-08-19
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4657.2.11
Page range: 385–391
Abstract views: 146
PDF downloaded: 229

The Fixator—A simple method for mounting of arthropod specimens and photography of complex structures in liquid

University of Hohenheim, Schloss Hohenheim 1, D-70599 Stuttgart, Germany; Department of Entomology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, D-70191 Stuttgart, Germany
Department of Entomology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, D-70191 Stuttgart, Germany
University of Hohenheim, Schloss Hohenheim 1, D-70599 Stuttgart, Germany; Department of Entomology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, D-70191 Stuttgart, Germany
Department of Entomology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, D-70191 Stuttgart, Germany
Department of Entomology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, D-70191 Stuttgart, Germany
Araneae fixation genitalia dissection maceration specimen handling

Abstract

Mounting and preparing arthropods in liquids for photography and further investigations is a challenging task and may lead to unsatisfactory results and, in the worst case, to damage to specimens. A new method is presented here, which allows the fixation of specimens of different sizes under various degrees of pressure. The method is illustrated by three case studies from different groups of insects and arachnids.

 

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