Post by coyote on Oct 18, 2011 5:41:25 GMT
From time to time the question of how to mark snails to identify specific individuals has come up in this forum. Today I found a link to a Google books excerpt that goes into some detail about several methods of marking snails that will not harm the animal nor get erased easily.
From The mollusks: a guide to their study, collection, and preservation by Charles F. Sturm, Timothy A. Pearce, Ángel Valdés (p. 22):
One simple way of marking a shell is to write a number directly on it. This can be done with an indelible fine-tipped marking pen or with a fine-tipped drafting pen such as a Rapidograph pen (Koh-I-Noor Corp., available at art stores and many office supply stores). If the shell is dark, you may have to put on a patch of a quick-drying white enamel-like substance such as is found in Liquid Label (Light Impressions, Brea, California). You can also try quick-drying enamel paint. It may be necessary to file the periostracum or shell to make it smooth enough to write on. When the shell is numbered, cover the number with a cyanoacrylate adhesive (Superglue, Krazy Glue) or acrylic polymer (found in Liquid Label) or dental acrylic. This will protect the number from abrasion. Some researchers have recommended clear epoxies, however Lemarié et al (2000) recommended against using epoxies. They found epoxies to be inferior to cyanoacrylate adhesives.
Another technique is to use pre-printed numbers. These numbered discs or labels are generally 3 - 8 mm in size. They are attached to the shell using a cynaoacrylate adhesive or acrylic resin. As with writing the number directly on the shells, you may have to file the shell to allow the tag or disc to make better contact. Pre-made tags that have been used for marking include Shellfish Tags (Hallprint Pty. Ltd., Holden Hill, South Australia, Australia), Fingerling Tags (Floy Tag and Manufacturing Inc., Seattle Washington) and the Queen Marking Kit (bee tags) (E.H. Thorne Ltd., Wragby, England).
You can also print numbers using a small font, such as a 6 or 8-point font, on waterproof paper with an indelible ink or print them with a drafting pen. Then cut them out or use a hole punch and then attach them to the shell as described above. Young and Williams (1893) used a variant of this technique. They printed numbers on Dymo tape (a plastic tape). They attached the tags to mussels using a cyanoacrylate adhesive. In studies lasting almost three years, they found that 95% or more of their tags were still attached to the marked mussels.
You can physically alter the shell as a way of marking it Using a diamond-tipped scribe (available at most hardware stores) or a file, you can scratch a number or code on the shell. If you use a code, remember to record the coding instructions so that others can decode the markings at a later time. Some researchers have used drills to encode shells. Ropes and Merrill (1970) used either a file or a Dremel Moto-Tool for notching surf clams.
Lastly, you can code shells by using colored enamel paints. For instance, a linear arrangement of four dots using five colors will allow you to mark 625 specimens differently. After the paint has dried, cover it with a cyanoacrylate adhesive or acrylic polymer for added protection and durability.
From The mollusks: a guide to their study, collection, and preservation by Charles F. Sturm, Timothy A. Pearce, Ángel Valdés (p. 22):
One simple way of marking a shell is to write a number directly on it. This can be done with an indelible fine-tipped marking pen or with a fine-tipped drafting pen such as a Rapidograph pen (Koh-I-Noor Corp., available at art stores and many office supply stores). If the shell is dark, you may have to put on a patch of a quick-drying white enamel-like substance such as is found in Liquid Label (Light Impressions, Brea, California). You can also try quick-drying enamel paint. It may be necessary to file the periostracum or shell to make it smooth enough to write on. When the shell is numbered, cover the number with a cyanoacrylate adhesive (Superglue, Krazy Glue) or acrylic polymer (found in Liquid Label) or dental acrylic. This will protect the number from abrasion. Some researchers have recommended clear epoxies, however Lemarié et al (2000) recommended against using epoxies. They found epoxies to be inferior to cyanoacrylate adhesives.
Another technique is to use pre-printed numbers. These numbered discs or labels are generally 3 - 8 mm in size. They are attached to the shell using a cynaoacrylate adhesive or acrylic resin. As with writing the number directly on the shells, you may have to file the shell to allow the tag or disc to make better contact. Pre-made tags that have been used for marking include Shellfish Tags (Hallprint Pty. Ltd., Holden Hill, South Australia, Australia), Fingerling Tags (Floy Tag and Manufacturing Inc., Seattle Washington) and the Queen Marking Kit (bee tags) (E.H. Thorne Ltd., Wragby, England).
You can also print numbers using a small font, such as a 6 or 8-point font, on waterproof paper with an indelible ink or print them with a drafting pen. Then cut them out or use a hole punch and then attach them to the shell as described above. Young and Williams (1893) used a variant of this technique. They printed numbers on Dymo tape (a plastic tape). They attached the tags to mussels using a cyanoacrylate adhesive. In studies lasting almost three years, they found that 95% or more of their tags were still attached to the marked mussels.
You can physically alter the shell as a way of marking it Using a diamond-tipped scribe (available at most hardware stores) or a file, you can scratch a number or code on the shell. If you use a code, remember to record the coding instructions so that others can decode the markings at a later time. Some researchers have used drills to encode shells. Ropes and Merrill (1970) used either a file or a Dremel Moto-Tool for notching surf clams.
Lastly, you can code shells by using colored enamel paints. For instance, a linear arrangement of four dots using five colors will allow you to mark 625 specimens differently. After the paint has dried, cover it with a cyanoacrylate adhesive or acrylic polymer for added protection and durability.
