[Nhcoll-l] Rehydrating crustaceans

Sat Jul 4 09:16:51 EDT 2015

Here are other techniques to try for rehydrating crustaceans and other invertebrates; also see references in Jeppesen (1988).  Good luck!

Jeppesen, P. C. 1988. Use of vacuum in rehydration of biological tissue, with a review of liquids used. Crustaceana 55(3): 268–273.

Thompson, J. R., M. H. Thompson, and S. Drummond. 1966. A method for restoring dried crustacean specimens to taxonomically usable condition. Crustaceana 10(1): 109.

Bill

________________________________________
From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu [nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] on behalf of Lazo-Wasem, Eric [eric.lazo-wasem at yale.edu]
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2015 11:53 AM
To: Yemisi Dare; Smith, Jamie
Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Rehydrating crustaceans

Dear Yemesi,

I have generally placed the dried out material in a small container (capped vial, watch glass, etc.) along with a small volume of the wetting agent and let it sit overnight.  I continue monitoring daily until the crustacean feels flexible and there are no more air bubbles visible inside the exoskeleton.  I have actually forgotten samples and left them sit for more than a week, but in practice I think it usually takes 3-4 days for small things (amphipods, copepods) and a good week or so for something larger (such as the leeches I mentioned).  The trick is to monitor regularly and when it appears "done" you can go back straight into ethanol (70-75% is what we use).

Eric LW

-----Original Message-----
From: Yemisi Dare [mailto:YDare at mus-nature.ca]
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2015 11:43 AM
To: Lazo-Wasem, Eric; Smith, Jamie
Subject: RE: Rehydrating crustaceans

Dear Eric, Jamie,

We have precisely the same issue here and I have been looking for a resource somewhere on how to rehydrate some of our crustacean donations that are severely dessicated.
Eric do you have a written protocol that I can use?

Thank you very much,

Yemisi Dare.

Yemisi Dare, Ph.D.
Assistant Collections Manager, Invertebrates / Gestionnaire adjointe des collections invertébrés Canadian Museum of Nature / Musée canadien de la Nature PO Box 3443 Station D / CP 3443 Succ <<D>> Ottawa, ON Canada K1P 6P4

Tel: 613-566 4736/ F: 613-364-4027
E-Mail: ydare at mus-nature.ca

-----Original Message-----
From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Lazo-Wasem, Eric
Sent: June-25-15 11:30 AM
To: Smith, Jamie
Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Rehydrating crustaceans

Dear Jamie,

I have been using "Aerosol OT," a wetting agent suggested to me by Bill Moser at the NMNH.  We have successfully been rehydrating tough as leather dried out leeches (140 years old) and amphipod crustaceans (types dried out from 1871).  The latter rehydrate so well that I can dissect the specimens and make permanent stained mounts in balsam.  Even plankton sample more than 50 years old have been rehydrated, and we can successfully mount copepods and daphniids after a weeks soak in A-OT.

An alternative is Tri-basic calcium phosphate, or the old house painters washing solution, TSP (tri-sodium phosphate).  Neither of these work nearly as well as Aerosol OT.

Eric Lazo-Wasem
Yale Peabody Museum

-----Original Message-----
From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Smith, Jamie
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2015 11:04 AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Rehydrating crustaceans

Has anyone had any luck rehydrating crustaceans that have completely dried out?  If so, which method did you use?

Jamie M. Smith
Collections Manager, Invertebrates
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences
Phone: (919)707-8869
Fax:  (919)715-2294

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NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
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mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
society. See https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.spnhc.org&d=AwIF-g&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=OlJg3hufVM30E1_C8yX9djUrADsUod_rzUvNSnjHOyE&s=22YKRB_tST1fENDsyD03u4wEE5aoBeaZv_58jPcYl9g&e=  for membership information.
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