This title is a much needed update of Barbosa's self-published Manual of Basic Techniques in Insect Histology. It is a laboratory manual of 'traditional' and 'modern' insect histology techniques, completely revised using cutting-edge methodology carried out today and includes new immunohistochemical techniques not previously looked at.

Insect Histology is designed as a resource for student and professional researchers, in academia and industry, who require basic information on the procedures that are essential for the histological display of the tissues of insects and related organisms.

Frequently asked questions

Simply head over to the account section in settings and click on “Cancel Subscription” - it’s as simple as that. After you cancel, your membership will stay active for the remainder of the time you’ve paid for. Learn more here.

At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.

Both plans give you full access to the library and all of Perlego’s features. The only differences are the price and subscription period: With the annual plan you’ll save around 30% compared to 12 months on the monthly plan.

We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.

Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.

Yes, you can access Insect Histology by Pedro Barbosa, Deborah Berry, Christina K. Kary in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Biological Sciences & Entomology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Year

2014

ISBN

9781118875001

Edition

Topic

Biological Sciences

Subtopic

Entomology

Index

Biological Sciences

Chapter 1
Problems of sclerotized chitin: Softening insect cuticle

1.1 Introduction

The softening and processing of heavily sclerotized specimens for subsequent histological preparations is one of the major problems in insect histology. Many approaches to the solution of this problem have been suggested. Attempts to soften and otherwise alter sections with sclerotized chitin have been incorporated at every procedural level of histological methods. Suggestions have been made for changes in fixation, clearing, mounting, and embedding. Others have also attempted prefixation, postfixation, premounting, presectioning, and so on, as additional steps geared towards improving the quality of sections.

Aside from the more detailed procedures and specific compounds that are recommended in the following pages there are other simple general methods recommended. These techniques represent basic procedures that have been used independently or in conjunction with other methods. One of the most widely used procedures is the treatment of insect specimens with sodium or potassium hydroxide. These chemicals soften sclerotized portions of specimens and dissolve the soft internal tissues. They are generally used either cold or warm at a 10% concentration. These substances are also frequently used in the preparation of insect specimens for taxonomic study.

The use of hypochlorite of soda is another alternate for softening chitin. It is suggested for the preparation of all stages, that is, larvae, pupae, and adults. The insect is usually placed in boiling hypochlorite of soda (about 25% in distilled water). It is usually left in the solution for about 24 hours or more. A third, widely used approach is the use of tenerals or newly moulted specimens. In this way, the specimens are used before the cuticle has hardened.

The elimination of certain chemical agents which tend to harden insect tissues can also be helpful. Occasionally, it is best merely to avoid long exposures to hardening compounds. For example, to avoid excess hardening, short exposures or avoidance of the higher concentrations of ethanol will aid in preventing its hardening effects. The use of n-butyl or t-butyl alcohol as a substitute dehydrating agent may avoid the hardening of tissues. Similarly, prolonged exposure to certain chemicals or fixatives containing chemicals such as acidified dichromate, mercuric chloride or chromic acid is not recommended. Prolonge...

Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
About the companion website
Chapter 1: Problems of sclerotized chitin: Softening insect cuticle
Chapter 2: Fixation
Chapter 3: Dehydrating, clearing, and embedding
Chapter 4: Staining
Chapter 5: Immunohistochemical techniques
Chapter 6: Use of genetic markers in insect histology
Chapter 7: Fluorescence
Chapter 8: Mounting
Chapter 9: Preparation of whole mounts
Chapter 10: Preparation of whole mounts for staining
Chapter 11: Preparation of genitalia, mouthparts and other body parts
Chapter 12: Preparation of chromosomes
Chapter 13: Preparation of other specific insect organs and tissues
Appendix: Dissecting fluids and saline solutions
Index
End User License Agreement