Thread subject: Diptera.info :: A question about Fleas (Siphonaptera)

Posted by pwalter on 09-06-2009 13:21
#1
HI! I finally managed to catch a flea of a dog - first time in my life I see this insect order. Can anyone suggest how to examine it? Should I use NaOH to make it transparent with microscope? Should I dissect genitalia? How? It's some 2,5 mm, so not too small.

Posted by phil withers on 09-06-2009 14:07
#2
Clear with NaOH then mount in DMSO or on a slide in...whatever you like. You cannot dissect the genitalia, they are internal.

Posted by pwalter on 09-06-2009 14:23
#3
Thank You!

Posted by Paul Beuk on 09-06-2009 14:35
#4
DMSO?

Posted by Tony Irwin on 09-06-2009 15:55
#5
Dimethyl sulfoxide

Posted by pwalter on 09-06-2009 16:02
#6
I was suprised to hear DMSO - at the university we use it for cryoprotection of mammalian cells stored in liquid nitrogen.

Posted by phil withers on 09-06-2009 21:24
#7
I meant DMHF - sorry (dimethyl hydantoin formaldehyde, before Paul asks). DMSO just slipped out...must have been thinking of my old life there...

Posted by Paul Beuk on 10-06-2009 08:33
#8
Is it a mounting agent or something to store it in?

Posted by phil withers on 10-06-2009 09:03
#9
Mounting agent (I use it for genitalia...not mine though). It is crystalline, and when added to water forms a clear liquid which dries to transparent: the meniscus formed helps by magnifying too.