title: Traditional water mite fixatives and their compatibility with later DNA studies.
abstract: This work compares frozen water, 70% alcohol, Koenike's and Angelier's fluid as preservation media for water mites in terms of their eventual facilitation of DNA extraction and amplification. The time the mites spent in the fixatives ranged between 1 week and 25 years. Two molecular markers were amplified: 16S ribosomal DNA and CoI mitochondrial DNA. DNA was extractable and could be sequenced from specimens fixed in all the above media, although this generally became more difficult as time progressed. In the light of the known characteristics of these media, the results suggest Angelier's fluid to be the most practical, especially on long expeditions.
authors.affiliation: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Dpto deColecciones, C/Jose Gutièrrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rey
authors.forename: Beatriz A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Dorda
authors.forename: Antonio G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Valdecasas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005404:Fixatives / Q000592:standards*; D008925:Mites / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011309:Preservation, Biological / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D005404:Fixatives; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV