Methods of biological maceration in the preparation of bat skulls: benefits and limitations

Abstract

Osteologic collections are used as an aid to scientific and teaching activities, to provide information on specific vertebrate characteristics, such as body support, posture, mode of locomotion, feeding habits and ecological niche. Known techniques for cleaning entire skeletons or mammalian skulls vary according to the destination of the material, the objective of the study, the taxonomic group, and the size of the specimen. The objective of this study was to test three different methods of maceration for cleaning bat skulls (traditional biological maceration, controlled biological maceration using Dermestes maculatus and controlled biological maceration using necrophagous fly larvae). The methods were carried out during five consecutive months, and the minimum and maximum times taken by each method were recorded and documented. Cleaning by fly larvae was the least costly method; the whole process was carried out during the preparation of the osteologic material. The flies ovulated directly on the pieces and the time spent was relatively short. Cleaning by dermestid larvae also resulted in clean parts in a short period, however, its culture needs specific maintenance conditions, since the size of the colony oscillates according to environmental temperature.

Preparing and Presenting a Pigeon Skeleton for Gross Anatomical Study Using Boiling Maceration Method: A Quick and Effective Method

“…Now a day, veterinary educational institutions do not take responsibility for the preparation of skeleton due to procedural complication because different methods of skeleton preparation need different time (Olson, 2003). Oliveira (2018) claims that biological maceration utilising fly larvae and cold water did not produce a good outcome, leading to fragile bone. In this experiment we used 2 matured pigeon aged 8 months old.…”

Uso do Alphitobius diaperinus como método alternativo de osteotécnica

“…Apesar de existirem muitas variáveis que podem interferir no resultado final, nota-se que, quando comparado com o Dermestes, os cascudinhos apresentaram redução de 80% no tempo necessário para limpar um esqueleto de coruja, demorando apenas dois dias para completar a limpeza. Neste trabalho, para a limpeza do esqueleto completo de um filhote de cão (260 mm de comprimento), obtivemos um tempo de 7 dias para a finalização do processo, metade do tempo encontrado por Oliveira (7) , em seu trabalho com Dermestes, no qual relata que para realizar a limpeza de cabeças de animais, com comprimento de 17,7 a 31,3 mm, foram necessários de 14 a 28 dias.…”

“…Esta espécie vem sendo reproduzida em laboratórios há décadas com a finalidade de preparar materiais biológicos (5) , isso porque estes insetos produzem menos odores desagradáveis, quando comparados com outros processos de maceração, além de manter os exemplares totalmente articulados durante o processo de limpeza (6) . No entanto, ao aplicar este método na preparação de crânios de morcegos, Oliveira (7) observou que os Dermestes causaram danos estruturais em algumas peças devido ao consumo do extrato ósseo, mesmo na presença de tecidos moles.…”

The ballistic performance of bone when impacted by fragments

“…Testing of isolated bone requires the removal of soft tissue without altering the properties of the bone. Bacterial maceration is commonly discussed in the literature, sometimes due to the addition of a detergent or enzyme; in addition to this, chemical cleaning is also used, but there are concerns regarding alteration of bone properties [18][19][20][21]. There are many organisms including species of insect of the genus Dermestes (Dermestidae: Coleoptera) that consume flesh.…”

“…There are many organisms including species of insect of the genus Dermestes (Dermestidae: Coleoptera) that consume flesh. Large museums often use carrion beetles of the family Dermestidae to clean bones [19]. These carnivorous beetles are 5-10 mm long as adults and 5-15 mm long in larval stages, thus are small enough to remove soft tissue between bones yet large enough to consume it quickly.…”