Acetone Treatment for Preservation of Adult and Larval Mosquitoes1

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Abstract
Taxonomic work on the Culicidae is hindered by lack of a completely satisfactory method of preserving specimens. Mosquito larvae stored in fluid often lose hairs and gills, and also are difficult to manipulate and study. A more satisfactory method is to mount the larvae on slides, but the specimens often distort and can be viewed from only 2 sides. Preservation of adults raises more serious problems. Preservation in fluid is unsatisfactory, since this method destroys the scale patterns which are necessary for taxonomic work. Mounting on pins or points is not especially satisfactory because the specimens shrivel and become distorted as they dry. Freeze-drying of adults gives well-preserved specimens (Woodring and Blum 1963), but the apparatus required is expensive and not generally available, especially to field workers. This paper describes a technique for the treatment of adult and larval mosquitoes with acetone that results in dry specimens which are not distorted or shriveled.

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