Clear Resin Casting of Arthropods for Use in Education, Outreach, and Research

Our prior work published a protocol for creating resin-embedded arthropods of medical importance for use in educational and outreach activities. This protocol has been adopted by diverse initiatives aiming to create a mounting technique that minimizes damage to the arthropod, creates a safe product for handling, and preserves the ability to see morphological characteristics for identification. Our protocol has evolved and is currently creating resin-embedded arthropods with improved quality thanks to the purchase of additional equipment and process modifications. We present this improved protocol with steps to minimize bubbles, adapt to different types of arthropods, and create final polished blocks with visibility from six sides. We also outline biosafety concerns from fumes during the resin curing, use of power tools, and from dust generated while sanding and polishing resin blocks. This visualized protocol will facilitate the adoption of clear resin casting of arthropods to a broader community. The list of equipment and consumables we have adopted over several years of trial and error will allow other programs to judge if this protocol is a viable option for adoption.