Chironomid Preparation Video

When I was a doctoral candidate, I, alongside my colleague Hayley Goodes produced an instructional video to explain the procedure for preparing sediment samples for the analysis of sub-fossil chironomids. This was meant to be part of a wider series of video method statements to be used internally, but my thesis got in the way and we didn’t make any more. One day I hope to return to this idea and produce a series of these. In the meantime I thought it totally useless sitting in my old files, so I thought I’d share it here.

The method is adapted from Brooks, Langdon & Heiri (2007). It doesn’t expand to cover the procedure for picking and mounting specimens, so I’ll just say that they are picked from a Bogorov sorting tray into a glass staining block (Brunel Microscopes), using fine forceps (Ideal-Tek 5.SA and 5TTH.S are my personal favorites, available from Farnell), and mounted using either Euparal (available from Agar Scientific or Asco Labs), or Hydromatrix (Micro Tech Lab) under 6mm coverslips (VWR #631-0168). Need a Bogorov tray? I have a stock of trays modified just for chironomid work for sale – click here for more information.

Brooks, S. J., Langdon, P. G. & Heiri, O. (2007). The identification and use of Palaearctic Chironomiae larvae in palaeoecology. QRA Technical Guide No. 10, Quaternary Research Organisation, London. 276pp