Technique

For the benefit of those who may desire to begin work on mycetophilids, the following notes may be useful. The brightest whole mounts were made with Gilson & Bouin fixation, followed by Borax Carmine. There is no doubt that Mayer's acid haemalum would be better, but it was not available. Paracarmine is usually superior to Borax Carmine, but Gower's Carmine is worth trying. The most penetrating fluid is Carnoy, but as soon as the larvae or pupae are fixed, which only takes about one hour, they should be got into 90% alcohol. For externals it is best to drop the larvae into 70% alcohol, and some will die stretched out. Mounted straight from water in Faure's medium, these show the combed areas well. The usual silver and gold nerve methods failed, and these will need adjusting for the purpose. Observations on colour must be made with live larvae. For cytology of the cytoplasm, Sjövall's method (neutral formalin followed by controlled osmication) has given good preparations. Mann-Kopsch is recommended as well. Dried preparations