Abstract
Preservation of four species of chironomid larvae in either 10% formalin or 70% ethanol caused changes in the preserved wet weight expressed as a percentage of the original live wet weight. The magnitude of the change varied with species, preservative, preservation time and the nature of the water used for preservative dilution. Failure to take these factors into account can lead to errors in wet weight measurements as great as 47%. The use of io% formalin prepared with filtered habitat water appears to be the most suitable preservative for chironomid larvae.
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Donald, G.L., Paterson, C.G. Effect of preservation on wet weight biomass of chironomid larvae. Hydrobiologia 53, 75–80 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00021235
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00021235