Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Pinning flies and wasps and some curious questions.

Posted by Tony T on 11-09-2007 15:37
#61

jorgemotalmeida wrote:
Tony, usually how do you organize your boxes? You put many families in the same box? Or did you in this way:
1 - for your favourite families, you got ONE box specially for it, and then you organize the box in alphabetical order for genus?.
2 - for the rest, we mix all in the same box.. and just try to organize them in alphabetical order?.. or in taxonomical order, I mean, similarities among the families.
3 - or other? :)


Thank you.


One family per storage box and the just 1 genus per box. If there are very few species in a genus you can put more than 1 genus per box.
Divide the box into rectangles, size of rectangle depending on size and number of specimens. Put just 1 species per rectangle. If I was collecing smallish flies then rectangles of 10x5 cm as in the photo would be fine. If I was collecting tabanids I would divide the boxes into columns; in this example a column would be the size of 5 rectgangles. I use tabanids in this example as these are the most flies I have. I would leave empty rectangles for species I would expect to catch. I think you can see how much more efficient it would be to use unit trays, 1 tray per species. These can then be easily rearranged.
This box has a plastozoate pinning bottom. I covered it with paper (paper held down in corners with pins) so that I could draw the rectangles. I would not want to draw directly onto the plastozoate.
I use very fine pins and direct pin. Never had problems with labels working loose. Use entomological pinning forceps to hold the pin when pushing the pin through the labels(s) and when pushing the pin into the bottom of the box. I show 3 types, the bent ends allows you to hold the pin beneath the specimen and close to the point of the pin; this prevents the pin from bending