Rotating heads

Mark Walker MWalker at gensym.com
Mon Apr 16 19:01:59 EDT 2001


These replies have been outstanding.  Thanks to all who've responded.

Just for the record, most of my leps are dried and frozen.  The reason for
this is that when I return from the field I have only 20-30% of my bugs
still alive.  For these, the freezer is my sleeping chamber.  It's also one
way to deter hitchiking parasites.  I've had parasite problems only with the
bugs I've mounted in the field (or on the same day they were captured).  Of
course, Ken lives in a perpetual freezer - so no need for this tactic in
Alaska };>)

Bottom line - many of my bugs handle differently.  I haven't tried the
overrotation (at least not to the extreme suggested).  Lycaenids give me the
most problem - because their little heads and antennae are more fragile.
It's much harder for me to rotate their heads (I'm using only pins and
forceps - I should probably invest in some additional instruments).  Dale
Clark from Dallas further suggested dipping the heads in and out of water
that's been brought to boiling.  I'll definitely give both of these a try.

Thanks again,

Mark Walker
Oceanside, CA

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Todd Redhead [mailto:toddredhead at hotmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2001 6:39 PM
> To: leps-l at lists.yale.edu
> Subject: Re: Rotating heads
> 
> 
> Hi Mark,
> 
> I, too freeze most everything I catch.  (The stuff I can't 
> mount immediatly 
> anyway.)  Although many specimens do end up with a turned 
> head - I have not 
> really had a problem with them staying that way.  What I do 
> is this: let the 
> insect thaw out for about 20 mins.  Then while the wings are 
> still folded up 
> I check the position of the head. If the head needs to be 
> rotated I use my 
> tongs to turn it the other way.  (If the lep is large enough, I will 
> sometimes just use my fingers to do this.)  The trick, though, is to 
> overrotate it - not just turn it to the position it will 
> finally be in.  I 
> hold the head in that overrotated position for 20 or 30 
> seconds so that when 
> I let it go it stays turned in that direction.  I then flex 
> the wings, 
> insert the mounting pin, etc. and do the final spread.  
> During this time I 
> find the head will often 'creep' back into the position that 
> it was frozen 
> in but not nearly as far.  If everything works out right - 
> the head will 
> often end up in the straight on position.  If not - a couple 
> of '000' pins 
> is all it takes to hold it and the antenna in position.  I do 
> my dried leps 
> the same way after they have been in the relaxer for 24 hrs 
> although the 
> process of overrotating the heads sometimes leaves me in a 
> bit of a sweat.  
> (The amount of sweat depends on how much $ I spent on that 
> insect.)  The 
> heads are usually stiffer on dried insects as compared to the 
> stuff taken 
> out of the freezer.
> 
> Todd
> 
> 
> From: Kenelm Philip <fnkwp at aurora.alaska.edu>
> Reply-To: fnkwp at aurora.alaska.edu
> To: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
> Subject: Rotating heads
> Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 16:13:50 -0800 (AKDT)
> 
> 
> Mark Walker asked about rotating heads of papered butterflies 
> when spread-
> ing them. I have noticed the same problem--with papered 
> material the head
> often ends up rotated to one side or the other, making it difficult to
> position the antennae correctly.
> 
> What I do is as follows: 1) make sure the specimen is fully relaxed--
> which takes about 24 hours in my relaxer. 2) after pinning 
> the specimen
> through the thorax, and before pinning it into the groove in 
> the spreading
> board, inspect the head position. If the head is rotated, use 
> a probe to
> rotate it about the same amount in the opposite direction. 
> One or more such
> attempts will usually bring the head, after you remove the probe, to
> something close to the correct position as far as rotation 
> goes. 3) pin
> the specimen to the board and spread.
> 
> I have never had a head 'lock' into the rotated position--the 
> head always
> rotates freely when pushed. However, I don't freeze them--I use ethyl
> acetate to kill them. Maybe something about freezing does that?
> 
> 							Ken Philip
> fnkwp at uaf.edu
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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