Insect pins

Insect pins are used by entomologists for mounting collected insects.[2] They can also be used in dressmaking for very fine silk or antique fabrics.[3]

Further information: Insect collecting
A species of hoverfly double-mounted with a minuten pin and a size 3 pin
Insect pins on sample card from entomological supplier.
Pinning block, used to set specimens and labels at uniform heights.[1]

As standard, they are 38 millimetres (1.5 in) long and come in sizes from 000 (the smallest diameter), through 00, 0, and 1, to 8 (the largest diameter).[2][4][5] The most generally useful size in entomology is size 2, which is 0.46 millimetres (0.018 in) in diameter, with sizes 1 and 3 being the next most useful.[2][4]

They were once commonly made from brass or silver, but these would corrode from contact with insect bodies and are no longer commonly used.[2] Instead they are nickel-plated brass, yielding "white" or "black" enameling, or even made from stainless steel.[4] Similarly, the smallest sizes from 000 to 1 used to be impractical for mounting until plastic and polyethylene became commonly used for pinning bases.[2]

There are also micro-pins, which are 10–15 millimetres (0.39–0.59 in) long.[4] minutens are headless micropins that are generally only made of stainless steel, used for double-mounting, where the insect is mounted on the minuten, which is pinned to a small block of soft material, which is in turn mounted on a standard, larger, insect pin.[6][7]

References

Cross-reference
  1. Ghafouri Moghaddam, Mohammad Hossein; Ghafouri Moghaddam, Mostafa; Rakhshani, Ehsan; Mokhtari, Azizollah (9 October 2017). "An Upgrade Pinning Block: A Mechanical Practical Aid for Fast Labelling of the Insect Specimens". Biodiversity Data Journal. 5 (5): e20648. doi:10.3897/BDJ.5.e20648. PMC 5665011. PMID 29104440.
  2. Gibb & Oseto 2010, p. 53.
  3. Denham & Field 2014, p. 39.
  4. Dhooria 2009a, p. 114.
  5. Banks 1909, p. 53.
  6. Gibb & Oseto 2010, pp. 55–56.
  7. Dhooria 2009b, p. 146.

Sources
  • Dhooria, Manjit S. (2009a). "Insect pins". Ane's Encyclopedic Dictionary of General & Applied Entomology. Springer Science + Business Media. ISBN 9781402086441.
  • Dhooria, Manjit S. (2009b). "Minuten pins". Ane's Encyclopedic Dictionary of General & Applied Entomology. Springer Science + Business Media. ISBN 9781402086441.
  • Banks, Nathan (1909). "Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects". Bulletin. No. 67. Smithsonian Institution, United States National Museum.
  • Gibb, Timothy J.; Oseto, Christian (2010). Arthropod Collection and Identification: Laboratory and Field Techniques. Academic Press. ISBN 9780080919256.
  • Denham, Carolyn; Field, Roderick (2014). Merchant & Mills Sewing Book. Collins & Brown. ISBN 9781910231012.
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