Photo Gallery - Relaxed Snails
The New Zealand mudsnail is easily relaxed by adding a "dash" of crushed menthol crystals
to a jar of live snails.
This procedure takes several hours to overnight and works best if the snails are kept cool
and uncrowded so that their water environment remains hospitable.
After the snails are fully relaxed, they will not respond to disturbance (wait too long and they will
redraw back into their shells).
They may then be fixed with various formaldehyde solutions.
Acidic solutions (Bouin's fluid, FAA, or Kahle's fluid) produce better tissue fixation,
but they will dissolve the shell fairly quickly.
Neural, buffered 10% formalin (37% formaldehyde solution) will not harm the shell for several days.
A combination of solutions can also be used depending on the objectives.
In any case, specimens are transfered to 70% ethanol for long term storage.
Most hydrobiid species must be relaxed for serious study.
Select an image to get a larger version.
Samples by D.L. Gustafson are linked by the sample number to a program that will provide
the basic collection data for the sample as well as site photographs.
Photo by D.L. Gustafson, sample g1044
Photo by D.L. Gustafson, sample g1044
Photo by D.L. Gustafson, sample g1044
Photo by D.L. Gustafson, sample g1044
Photo by D.L. Gustafson, sample w1260
Photo by D.L. Gustafson, sample g1044
2002 MAY 5, last updated on 2005 FEB 05
