Degreasing and species ID

[sumairp at operamail.com]

I suggest that you be very careful about immersing the wings in ethyl
acetate. My experience has been that the wings of some species seem to
be unaffected, yet in others, they discolour.

If you can access further specimens without difficulty, jump right in,
but if it is a problem, remove the most affected wing at the base of
v1 where it joins the thorax, using a scalpel and trial immerse it in
the solution. Time & temperature may affect the outcome, so observe
the whole process & make notes.

If no discolourisation results, then continue to process the whole
specimen and glue the removed wing back in place.

If discolourisation is apparent, you will only have lost one wing.
Wish I could be more helpful, but my experience is mainly with moths
& a few various butterfly sp.

Cheers,


 
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