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1958
The Lepidopterists' News
205
A METHOD OF PREPARING FRESH MICROLEPIDOPTERA
FOR SPREADING
The summer of 1958 was spent collecting Microlepidoptera. At the beginning of this period the method used for relaxing fresh specimens, preparatory to spreading them, was to place them in a relaxing jar four or more hours, depending on the size of the specimen. Two difficulties arose with this process: minute specimens become waterlogged with'n three days (due to the large number of specimens collected it was impossible to spread each night's material immediately), and small nepticulids could not be spread because the wing muscles appeared to remain tight thus not allowing the wings to be drawn into proper position.
Previously, I had placed specimens in the freezing compartment of a refrigerator so they would retain their body moisture until I had the opportunity of spreading them. This method was used again, and it was found that the nepticulids were easy to spread after four hours in the freezing compartment. The other difficulty was obviated by usmg this process because it is possible to hold the specimens in a nearly fresh condition for at least two weeks. I have not tried to hold them any longer than two weeks, but it should be feasible.
The procedure which I used during the second half of the summer prior to spreading the specimens was to place them in a cyanide jar for six to ten hours, then to put them on a layer of cotton in a salve tin which was placed in the freezing compartment. When I was ready to spread the specimens, I removed them from the freezer and placed them into a relaxing jar for a minimum of two hours before spreading. It is obvious that a large catch would have to be subdivided so the small specimens (nepticulids, lyonetiids, etc.) would not remain in the relaxing jar for more than two days. The reason for stressing that micros should be spread while they are fresh is that this is the only time when they can be spread to give good-looking specimens.
Ronald W. Hodges, Dept. of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y., U. S. A.
REVIEW
NORDENS DAGSOMMERFUGLE [The Butterflies of Scandinavia]. By Torben W. Langer. 1958. 344 pp., 20 col. pis., many text-figs. Quarto (8V2" x 11V2")- Publisher: Ejnar Munksgaard Ltd,, 6 Norregade, Copenhagen, Denmark. Price: 125.- kroner.
The principal recent Scandinavian books covering butterflies are an excellent and inexpensive manual of Danish species (Hoffmeyer & Knudsen, De danske Storsommerfugle; 1938) and a portion of a large work on all the groups of the Swedish Macrolepidoptera (Nordstrom & Wahlgren, Svenska Fjarilar; 1941). The range of Mr. Langer's volume, under review, includes