Plankton and Benthos Research
Online ISSN : 1882-627X
Print ISSN : 1880-8247
ISSN-L : 1880-8247
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Newly devised glycerol-mounted permanent slide preparation for dissected specimens of micro-crustaceans
Hiroshi Ueda
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2018 Volume 13 Issue 1 Pages 28-31

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Abstract

High-concentration pure glycerol has been used as a medium for permanent preservation of micro-crustacean specimens. However, glycerol-mounted permanent slide preparations are rare because of the difficulty in sealing the coverslip over the long term. I devised a glycerol-mounted permanent preparation method, especially for a small dissected piece of a micro-crustacean using a glass depression slide and a coverslip with secure sealing, in order to overcome some of the disadvantages of the popular permanent mountants that solidify, such as discoloration of specimens and difficulty in remounting. Unique characteristics of the preparation method are: (1) the central glycerol being of a few millimeters in diameter, which embeds the specimen and is retained in the depression center by a paraffin wax circle painted on the depression bottom; (2) the marginal glycerol, which fills up the clearance between the glass slide and the coverslip and prevents intrusion of the sealant into the clearance; (3) sealing with nail polish first and Canada balsam second, where the latter can seal securely over the long term and the former, being a fast-drying sealant, prevents intrusion of the latter into the marginal glycerol. By following this method, even a small dissected piece can be easily found under a microscope and taken out from the preparation for detailed examination with a low risk of going missing. The procedure to make the preparation is presented in detail.

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© 2018 The Plankton Society of Japan
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