Re: NANFA-- need help on preserving fish heads & skeletons

Bruce Stallsmith (fundulus_at_hotmail.com)
Mon, 21 May 2001 15:20:44 -0400

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Hi Bruce, the Dermestid beetles you refer to are used to clear all kinds of
skeletons. The only drawback with carp is that a dead fish smells so goddam
bad... The easiest source for the beetles is do-it-yourself. If you have the
stomach to wrestle around a dead carp, you're probably up to checking out
roadkill animals and removing any obvious maggots and adult beetles. It's
actually the maggots that do most of the flesheating. These Dermestid
beetles are also available from Carolina Biological Supply Co., 2700 York
Rd., Burlington, N.C. 27215-3398, (910) 584-0381. You might want to take a
look at: www-adm.pdx.edu/user/bio/articula/steps/stepby.html (for advice!).

--Bruce "Bone Boy" Stallsmith
Huntsville, AL, US of A
(on Friday I did a bones & fossils show for a local elementary school...)

>From: BR0630_at_aol.com
>Reply-To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
>To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
>Subject: Re: NANFA-- need help on preserving fish heads & skeletons
>Date: Mon, 21 May 2001 14:52:12 EDT
>
>I hope I'm not sending this twice. I would like to know if some of those
>"lab" beetles that clean up flesh would clean a fish carcass of all but the
>skeleton? I have in mind the skeleton of a large spawned out female carp.
>Does anyone know whereabouts I might get some of these beetles?
>Bruce Scott
>Meridian, Idaho

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