Springtails (Collembola)

[Dannica]

Any ideas as to the best way to preserve springtail specimens?

At present I have them in formalin solution, but they tend to float and stick to the sides of the container. I'm wondering if this means they will not benefit from being in spirit at all, and if they ought to be dry, or something else.

Will look for info, but in the meantime any ideas welcome

Hope everyone's well and the xmas wasn't a terrible ordeal.

Dx

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by Dannica

Any ideas as to the best way to preserve springtail specimens?

At present I have them in formalin solution, but they tend to float and stick to the sides of the container. I'm wondering if this means they will not benefit from being in spirit at all, and if they ought to be dry, or something else.
..........Hope everyone's well and the xmas wasn't a terrible ordeal.
Dx

It's gone but it will be back

I wouldn't dry the specimens - they will become friable and fragment. The best method would be to dehydrate and clear them to mount in a resin ... however, this is complex and not really necessary.

Formalin storage might be improved by addition of salt (sodium chloride) to about 0.85g%. If you are using formaldehyde I hope that you're aware of the safety hazards and use gloves and fan extraction of your air-space!

My inclination, storing small specimens, is to use 50-70% alcohol (propanol is available from chemists). Disadvantage of this is that the specimens lose their colour over the months and years; however, I don't see this as a problem for Collembola?

[Dannica]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

It's gone but it will be back

I wouldn't dry the specimens - they will become friable and fragment. The best method would be to dehydrate and clear them to mount in a resin ... however, this is complex and not really necessary.

Formalin storage might be improved by addition of salt (sodium chloride) to about 0.85g%. If you are using formaldehyde I hope that you're aware of the safety hazards and use gloves and fan extraction of your air-space!

My inclination, storing small specimens, is to use 50-70% alcohol (propanol is available from chemists). Disadvantage of this is that the specimens lose their colour over the months and years; however, I don't see this as a problem for Collembola?

Ooh, blobs of resin. Sounds like fun.
I've never done anything much on springtails, so am only just beginning to look into id etc. I only ever use a 10% formalin solution which I get from college, and do try to use gloves, so not quite as deadly. And thank you for your concern.
'Dehydrate and clear' - is that controlled freeze drying, or something a little more technical? (I really have no idea, you see). And because I'm only just starting thinking about id, I don't even know if colour is useful or not.
I found these when I was rooting about in a thick matt of moss. There's a bright green and very tiny indeed, a larger and very dark green, and a small, very pale brown. And I'm dying to find out what they are, even if they are all common garden springtails.
I think I'll look in to propanol for storage as well.
Thanks Paul

[MattPrince]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

Disadvantage of this is that the specimens lose their colour over the months and years; however, I don't see this as a problem for Collembola?

What about dicryrtomina ornata / dicyrtomina saundersi ?


The late Steve Hopkins website is worth a look if you haven't found it yet.

Cheers,
Matt

[Dannica]

ooOOoo!

[Dannica]

As far as the website goes, might this be Heteromurus major, based on the colour and antennae formation (which may well not help much)?

And I'm almost certain we have Orchesella cincta under the log pile - very obvious creamy-yellow band on dark body...maybe

[Jason Green]

I see you have a Veho. Yes, latter sounds like the very common cincta.

[Dannica]

'Veho'? I've got a quite cheap USB thing with a zoom and over-exposure, if that's what you mean

The thing about keeping springtails in liquid is that they don't break through the meniscus of the water's surface, so I don't think they'll actually be preserved by it as such.

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by Dannica

................'Dehydrate and clear' - is that controlled freeze drying, or something a little more technical? (I really have no idea, you see). And because I'm only just starting thinking about id, I don't even know if colour is useful or not.
.........

It involves treating them with a dilute alcohol (70%?), strong alcohol (99%) [to dehydrate them] then a clearing agent such as xylene to clear them [make transparent], them putting them into a blob of mountant (there are dozens in use! DPX is common] and dropping a coverslip on. It's not highly technical but time-consuming if you have lots!

[Dannica]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

It involves treating them with a dilute alcohol (70%?), strong alcohol (99%) [to dehydrate them] then a clearing agent such as xylene to clear them [make transparent], them putting them into a blob of mountant (there are dozens in use! DPX is common] and dropping a coverslip on. It's not highly technical but time-consuming if you have lots!

So chemically prepping them and keeping them as slides...ish?