Mounted: Miridae - Dicyphus epilobii

[Jason Green]

Hi all,

Don't worry - I'm not going to post each insect I mount!

I found this not long dead Mirid yesterday. The body is long and very narrow with long legs. How do you mount something like that? Quite a logistical challenge I thought. Well, the shape is not dissimilar to a Hymenopteran - though it lacks a wasp waist, of course - long and narrow with long legs. With wasps such as Ichneumons you can use a pin and card-point to ensure you have all views there - the head, dorsal (topside), longitudinal (side-on)and ventral (underside). I therefor mounted it in a similar way but on card as I don't have pins yet - and it hasn't worked out too badly IMO.

1/11/2009

Am I right - Dicyphus epilobii?
Mounted under my Apex Examiner 20x stereomicroscope

Note the extended legs, antennae and even rostrum. I take it the organ on the underside of the abdomen's tip makes this a female? I've never seen one with this before, though I suppose even side-on shots may not show this bit. Obviously all/most Mirids have a flat ventral area and so would be mounted in the standard way, but this being so round would have made for an unstable specimen with only a tiny surface area for the glue underneath and so I had to 'Think outside the box' on this occasion.

Feel free to comment!

Take care,

Jason

[JRsbugs]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

Hi all,

Feel free to comment!

Take care,

Jason

Looks like a good job to me Jason. My comment though is how do you find all these dead bugs, i.e. what are you doing to make them die?

Janet

[tristanba]

HI Jason,

Looks good for epilobii although it would be good to see the dorsal surface - although it's tricky probably best to mount these the conventional way to show as many features as possible

As you rightly observe it is a female and the ovipositor is particulalrly visible since it's extended.

Cheers
Tristan

[Jason Green]

Thanks Janet,

Originally Posted by JRsbugs

Looks like a good job to me Jason. My comment though is how do you find all these dead bugs, i.e. what are you doing to make them die?

I bore them to death I suppose that as it's approaching the end of the season some are dying off. I found this in a body of water. At the same time I was able to rescue a tiny wasp and Flea Beetle. I haven't killed any I've mounted.

Yes Tristan, I agree. I have however got a dorsal angle still, though it doesn't really show here. Gluing it chest-down would have been very difficult though as outlined. Have you managed a Dicyphus mounting yet? I'd be interested in how others have got around this.