Instrument That Inflates Insects’ Genitalia Helps Identify Species
From Times staff and wire reports
Scientists at the Australian research organization CSIRO have developed a new instrument that they say revolutionizes classification of insects by inflating their genitalia. The vesica everter, more commonly known as a phalloblaster, uses a stream of pressurized alcohol to dehydrate and harden the genitalia, which then remain inflated like a balloon. For more than 100 years, scientists have used observed differences in genitalia to distinguish between species; inflating them makes them easier to observe.
