Author: tcm@illinois.edu

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Saving our natural heritage, one stopper at a time

Tommy McElrath wrote for the U of I News Bureau about the problem of deteriorating rubber stoppers and how a grant from the National Science Foundation is enabling INHS to replace them, thereby preserving valuable insect collection specimens. Read the complete rubber stopper story at the News Bureau’s website.

Insect collection at the Illinois Natural History Survey. “Melting” vials that have deteriorated over time.
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Tarantulas in a pickle jar

Tommy McElrath describes some of the unusual ways specimens have been stored over time, including toe-tagged tarantula specimens sharing a recycled pickle jar. Read the full story of the tarantulas and more about the hands-on work required to keep insect collection specimens properly preserved at the News Bureau website.

All these individual spiders in the separate jars were stored in this large pickle jar, with only toe tags to identify the spiders.