[Nhcoll-l] Forum Post Mammal Specimen Fungi

[Neisskenwirth Fabian]

Dear Malorri,

Freezing won’t help. It even could make the growing of the fungus faster after you take them out again.

I think Ethanol could help a bit, but the main issue would still be the source of the fungus. I would strongly advice to check carefully the place where the bats are stored and see what could be the reason of the molds growth.

Maybe some professional help from a “mold removal company” could prevent more damage.

Good luck with this!

--
Fabian Neisskenwirth
Präparation
Naturwissenschaftlicher Präparator

+41 (0)31 350 72 25
NATURHISTORISCHES MUSEUM BERN
Bernastrasse 15, CH – 3005 Bern
www.nmbe.ch<http://www.nmbe.ch/>
Eine Institution der Burgergemeinde Bern<https://www.bgbern.ch/>

Von: Nhcoll-l [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] Im Auftrag von Malorri Hughes
Gesendet: Freitag, 15. März 2019 00:33
An: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Betreff: [Nhcoll-l] Forum Post Mammal Specimen Fungi

We were hoping to post the following message and photos to the listserv if possible. Thanks for any help you can provide.




Hi all,


We recently noticed a fungus on several bat specimens in the collection at Portland State University (photos attached). We think it is recent as it wasn't noticed during the previous monthly pest checks, but it is possible it was just less noticeable previously. Either way, it seems to be spreading throughout the case quickly now.


We also noticed (what we think is) a second fungi (a mold?) on rodent skeletons (Peromyscus) (photo attached). These specimens went through a Dermestid colony several years ago, we're wondering if this mold developed during that process and was not detected then or is more recent.


We aren’t sure how best to tackle this issue. We are freezing the specimens in hopes that it will kill the fungi, but we have been told that this may not work. Ethanol has also been suggested, but we are not sure if it would be safe to use on the skin specimens or if it would be effective.



Any suggestions or advice would be much appreciated. We have photos of both fungi under a compound scope as well if anyone wants to see those.



Thank you for your time!
--
Malorri Hughes, MS
PhD Student
Duffield Lab
Department of Biology
Portland State University
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