Insect pins are used by entomologists for mounting collected insects. They can also be used in dressmaking for very fine silk or antique fabrics.
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). 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.
They were once commonly made from brass or silver, but these would corrode from contact with insect bodies and are no longer commonly used. Instead they are nickel-plated brass, yielding "white" or "black" enameling, or even made from stainless steel. Similarly, the smallest sizes from 000 to 1 used to be impractical for mounting until plastic and polyethylene became commonly used for pinning bases.
There are also micro-pins, which are 10–15 millimetres (0.39–0.59 in) long. minutens are headless micropins that are generally only made of stainless steel, and used for double-mounting. 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.
References
Cross-reference
- 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.
- ^ Gibb & Oseto 2010, p. 53.
- Denham & Field 2014, p. 39.
- ^ Dhooria 2009a, p. 114.
- Banks 1909, p. 53.
- Gibb & Oseto 2010, pp. 55–56.
- 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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