[Nhcoll-l] Fan Coral Specimen Preservation

Wed Nov 23 18:04:59 EST 2016

Dear Lisa, Megan et al.,

Octocorals are only really worth preserving in alcohol if they still have their polyps.  The alcohol will slightly leach some of the pigment from the skeleton but provided they’re stored away from UV, the colour tends to be quite stable.  The advice about the alcohol ladder is good and should work well but don’t be tempted to rush it as the polyps (I’m sure you know) are delicate and can easily become shrivelled by dramatic changes in osmotic pressure.

If it’s just a skeleton, then I would again transfer to a lower-grade alcohol, which will get rid of any formalin residues, then leave it to dry out (away from UV as always). I always used to mount them rather like herbarium specimens using cloth fibre-based strapping tape and kept them in acid free folders.

Hope that this helps.

With all good wishes, Simon.

Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR
Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian,
www.natural-history-conservation.com 

On 23 Nov 2016, at 13:59, Greene, Lisa <llgreene at gov.bm> wrote:

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