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- KOREAN
The methods for making specimens can differ slightly depending on the producer, but the same principles, such as that detailed structures should not be hidden by glue or other body parts, applies to all specimens.
Specimens should be easy to use and have a low risk of damage. It is better if the specimen has aesthetic value.
Most insects are stored as dry specimens, but if the body is too soft or dry and might be damaged, an immersion specimen can be used. If it is required to store it permanently or observe it in detail with an optical microscope, make it into a slide specimen.
Most imago can be preserved by drying after fixing with insect pins. Larger specimens are usually directly attached with long pins (35-40㎜), while smaller insects are attached with headless micro-pins (10-12㎜). Even smaller insects that cannot be fixed with headless micro-pins should be glued carefully with water-soluble adhesive or put onto a triangular sheet. Specimen making usually follows the procedures below.
When making a specimen with an insect that has already been dried, softening is required to minimize damage. The best method is to place the insect in a closed box with cotton wet with glacial acetic acid.
Using 0.5-0.75ml per liter of glacial acetic acid is enough. Softening takes about 12 to 24 hours. In moist conditions, add a few pieces of thymol to prevent the proliferation of fungi. It is convenient to use a large tank, but attention must be given when dealing with smaller insects. Soften the collected insects in the box without removing them from the original bag to reduce risk of damage. Take care because using glacial acetic acid may sometimes cause bleaching, discoloration, or loss of luster.
When softening Coleoptera and Hemiptera, it is good to soak them in water at 60-70 ℃ for several minutes or tens of minutes to retain their unique colors.
Hot water can also by used for softening Lepidoptera, but the wings must not get wet; alternatively, use a syringe. First, dip the head and antennae in hot water for few minutes and inject enough hot water into the hidden part of the thorax with the syringe.
Several methods can be used depending on the producer’s preference and specimen type, but it is more desirable to create ones with a standard size insect pin, as this makes comparison between several specimens much easier. Use 38mm stainless-headed pins that are specifically made for specimen production. Insect pins vary from size 0 to 7 according to thickness, and sizes 3 or 4 are appropriate for producing normal-sized insect specimens.
When making dry specimens, stretching legs, or moving and observing, it is suitable to use various tweezers according to the purpose. Although it is possible to use an insect pin to stretch legs, using tweezers is more convenient. Therefore, use tweezers if possible in dealing with specimens.
Fix the specimen at the 2/3 location of the pin to allow space for holding the pin above and for attaching the label below. Make the insect body and pin perpendicular to each other. Equalize the height of the specimen and the label by using a balance beam.
Smaller insects should be attached with thin, headless pins. Pin them entirely onto a polyporus or plastazote block and then pin them again with a size 3 or 4 long insect pin. Smaller blocks are preferable.
If it is difficult to pin an insect because it is too small or flat, put it on a triangular sheet by using tweezers or adhesive first and pin it later. It is best if this procedure is done under a microscope. Use a small but strong triangular sheet. Use less glue if possible; apply the glue on the thorax to leave its head and abdomen free and facilitate viewing the underside. Size 5 pins are usually used to raise them up to 2/3 by pinning the center of the triangular sheet. For social insects such as ants, make them into specimens by applying several triangular sheets on one insect pin to represent various classes. For unity, it is typical to attach the right side of the body at the end of the triangular sheet. When attaching a flat insect to the triangular sheet, bend its end part in a perpendicular fashion downward, apply some glue to it and attach the right side of the thorax to the paper.
There should be no glue on any other part of the body, including wings and legs. Unfold the wings vertical to the body and tilt the body a little to allow one side of the body to be seen.
It is common to unfold wings horizontally, but for some taxa in Hymenoptera and Diptera, wings can be unfolded vertically. Display boards are usually used to unfold wings. The display board size is chosen according to the insect size. First, attach the specimen on the appropriate location of the central groove of the display board and unfold the wings by using a needle. Then, fix them with display tape and pin them with a needle. For the display tape, transparent parchment paper is convenient.
To correct its posture by moving the wings, it is desirable to use a sharp needle. It is typical to use the thick wing vein for moving wings to prevent damage of the wings, such as tearing or injuring scales. If it is not required to unfold the wings of an insect, its legs should alternatively be straightened for its shape. First, pin an insect needle on the thorax area, open the leg by attaching its abdomen to Styrofoam, and fix it so it does not move.
For imagos in Lepidoptera, Odonata, Ephemeroptera, Mecoptera, Neuroptera, and Trichoptera, and some imagos in Hymenoptera and Diptera, it is required to unfold the wings before drying specimens. As large cicadas have the disadvantage of taking up a large space when their wings are unfolded, their wings are usually not unfolded, excluding one or two individuals. It is common to not unfold the wings of Orthoptera and Plecoptera.
Dry specimens with unfolded wings in state by pinning them on a display board for as long as possible (at least two to three weeks) in an incubator at 35℃ and then preserve them in a specimen room after disinfection. Complete drying is required prior to preservation of the specimen.
Because the rainy season in Korea is hot and humid, it is likely for fungi to appear, and for a specimen worm or a buffalo bug to be developed, good care must be taken when drying. It is necessary to pay attention because the inside of the specimen room can become damp from temperature differences with exterior air.
After completion of the specimens they should be stored in a dry state, and it is desirable to install a sufficient number of dehumidifiers, considering the size of the specimen room, and remove water in the dehumidifier often.
Dry specimens are produced by separating them from the display board or the Styrofoam and pinning them with a label. Occasionally, the remaining body of the host insect or its exuvium is preserved together.
For example, when producing Neochrysocharis formosa or Tachinidae specimens it is recommended to preserve the residual host body after removing the parasite and the cocoon with the imago specimen in a dried state. This provides valuable data for the relationship between parasite and host and may help with identification of the parasite. Attach the residual host body on the same paper or pin it under the parasite.
In addition, for in some insects, including cicadas or Neochrysocharis Formosa, an exuvium of larva at the end stage can be valuable data. For example, larger ones, such as the exuvium of cicadas are preserved independently, while the same criteria for preservation of the residual host body are applied to the exuvium of Neochrysocharis Formosa.
Korea Biodiversity Information System 
