[NHCOLL-L:4958] RE: Dermestid cleaning of fish skeletons?

[Dirk Neumann]

... our archaeozoological colleagues normally cook the fishes for 1-2 h 
in small net bags; after this, the flesh can be removed easily, 
afterwards the bones and dried (if necessary, larger bones are cleaned 
and dried with paper towels first). This smelly method works also nice 
in the field (skeletons can be transported dry with salt in zip-lock 
bags wrapped in newspaper). Any remaining flesh is then cleaned by 
dermestids. Time depends on size and number of bones and on the colony. 
In general cooking, cleaning and removal of residual flesh will take 
some hours, but this method will be much faster then the proposed months.

Dirk


Am 07.09.2010 16:13, schrieb Thomas Labedz:
>
> Kirsten
>
> Several other factors need to be taken into account.  The size, 
> maturity, and environmental condition of the dermestid colony all come 
> into play in determining the speed of the work in cleaning skeletons.  
> The same colony can take hours, weeks, or sometime in between to 
> complete a job.  A large colony that is concentrated and has nothing 
> else to feed on will work faster.  A mature colony, that is having 
> large numbers of all stages of larval development, will work faster 
> and more efficiently.  And a colony kept in appropriate conditions 
> will work better than one that isn't.
>
> Another factor is staff care of the colony.  A well maintained colony 
> will produce better results faster than one that is just left to go 
> and checked periodically.  And, especially with fish or other oily 
> specimens there is time and work to clean and degrease the specimen 
> after coming out of the dermestid colony.
>
> Looking forward to hearing about your efforts to speed the process.
>
> Thomas E. Labedz, Collections Manager
>
> Division of Zoology and Division of Botany
>
> University of Nebraska State Museum
>
> W-436 Nebraska Hall
>
> 900 N. 16^th St.
>
> Lincoln, NE 68588-0514
>
> 402/472-8366   fax 402/472-8949
>
> tlabedz1 at unl.edu www.museum.unl.edu <http://www.museum.unl.edu/>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From:* owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu 
> [mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] *On Behalf Of *Kirsten Nicholson
> *Sent:* Tuesday, September 07, 2010 8:10 AM
> *To:* NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
> *Subject:* [NHCOLL-L:4955] Dermestid cleaning of fish skeletons?
>
> How long does it normally take for dermestids to clean fish skeletons? 
>  I'm attempting to publish an article on a technique that I 
> experimented with to speed this process.  An article by Bemis et al 
> (2004) lends the impression that fish preparation with his proposed 
> method of first drying the fish (after skinning and removing internal 
> organs, large muscle masses and fascia) can take up to months.  I 
> emailed Bemis with no response, and mind you, I'm a herpetologist, 
> with little experience making fish skeletons.  So I'm wondering if I'm 
> misinterpreting their article, or if in fact it can sometimes take a 
> very long time to prep a fish skeleton with dermestids?  I recognize 
> it may depend on the size of the fish, but for us it didn't take very 
> long at all (hours).
>
> Thanks for any info you can pass on!
>
> Kirsten
>
> -- 
> Kirsten E. Nicholson, Ph.D
>
> Asst. Prof. Biology
> Dept. of Biology
> 217 Brooks Hall
> Central Michigan Univ.
> Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
> 989-774-3758
>
> and
>
> Curator of Natural History
> Museum of Cultural and Natural History
> 103 Rowe Hall
> Central Michigan University
> Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
> 989-774-3829
>


-- 
Dirk Neumann

Tel: 089 / 8107-111
Fax: 089 / 8107-300
email: Dirk.Neumann(a)zsm.mwn.de

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Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns
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Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Labor
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81247 München

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---------

Dirk Neumann

Tel: +49-89-8107-111
Fax: +49-89-8107-300
email: Dirk.Neumann(a)zsm.mwn.de

postal address:

Bavarian Natural History Collections
The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology
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81247 Munich (Germany)

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