Farm raised swallowtails set behind glass on a keyhole hook, and Mesobuthus and Heterometrus scorpions cast solid in optical lucite.
Buy Framed Butterflies and Cased Insects Prepared for Wall Display and Study
A framed insect specimen is a dried, spread and pinned invertebrate sealed between two panes so both the upper and under sides stay visible, while a lucite specimen is the same animal cast inside a solid block of polymethyl methacrylate that can be handled and put under a microscope. Buy either format here and you are paying for the preparation as much as the animal, because setting, sealing and casting decide how the piece looks in ten years. Astro Gallery of Gems sources the 3 framed and cased specimens here from farmed stock and states species, dimensions and weight on every listing.
Insect Farms in Peru Decide What Reaches This Page
Sourcing is the first question serious buyers ask about mounted invertebrates. Astro Gallery buys the framed material from insect farms where specimens are collected once they have completed their natural lifespan, and no endangered species enters a frame.
Peruvian butterfly farmsPapilionidae swallowtails raised in enclosures in Peru, allowed to mature and breed away from natural predators, then collected after death and set for framing. Farming keeps supply steady and pricing predictable, and it removes the collecting pressure that makes wild caught material a legal problem.
Mesobuthus martensiiThe Chinese golden scorpion of family Buthidae, a slender pale species from northern China measuring under two inches in the block. Astro Gallery casts these at roughly 23.7 and 83.5 grams, and that small body length is why the lucite scorpions open the pricing here.
Heterometrus laoticusThe Asian forest scorpion of family Scorpionidae, native to Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, heavy bodied with thick pedipalps and a glossy black cuticle. One adult fills a frame measuring 5.75 by 1.75 by 9 inches at about a pound, which makes it a wall piece.
Cast lucite, not poured resinPolymethyl methacrylate with a refractive index near 1.49, cast in stages around the specimen and degassed so the block stays optically clear rather than milky. That clarity lets a cased scorpion work under a stereo microscope, and it is why bubbles beside the animal are a real fault.
Two Formats Carry These Specimens, and Buyers Shop Them Differently
The choice between glass and acrylic is not a matter of budget. Each format fixes how the piece is displayed, how much handling it survives and what happens to it over a decade.
The glazed display frameA sealed black frame glazed on both faces, so wings or cuticle can be read from either side, with a keyhole hook already fitted at the top for wall mounting. Frames present better as a gift and hold larger animals, though they need a wall out of direct sun and stable humidity.
The solid lucite blockThe specimen suspended inside cast acrylic, sealed against dust, pests and fingers, and clear enough for a stereo microscope at low magnification. Teachers and parents shop this format because a child can pick it up, though the block cannot be opened or the animal remounted.
Frame and Block Dimensions Settle Where a Specimen Can Live
Measurements matter more here than weight, because a frame occupies wall area and a block occupies desk area. Four size classes cover everything Astro Gallery prepares.
| Size class | Measurements and where the piece goes |
|---|
| Pocket lucite block, about 24 grams | Roughly 1 by 0.5 by 1.75 inches holding a small Mesobuthus scorpion, sized for a pencil case or a classroom tray. Students use this class under a stereo microscope because the working distance stays short. |
| Display lucite block, about 84 grams | Roughly 1.5 by 1 by 2.75 inches, holding a full grown golden scorpion with a clear face on every side. The block stands unaided on a desk and takes daily handling without protection. |
| Single specimen frame, about 1 pound | Roughly 5.75 by 1.75 by 9 inches with one Heterometrus scorpion or one swallowtail centred behind glass. The keyhole hook takes a single wall screw, and the depth lets the frame stand on a shelf instead. |
| Grouped and larger frames | Wider cases carrying several butterflies arranged as a set, sized for a gallery wall or a stairwell. Hang these at eye level, since the underside pattern only shows when the frame sits away from the wall. |
The Catalogue Prices Every Frame You Can Buy Today
Each row is one prepared piece with its own live figure, drawn from the catalogue as stock moves. A specimen that sells drops out rather than staying visible as an item you cannot add to the cart.
Frames ship as the exact piece photographedThe framed specimens are photographed individually, while lucite listings note that a similar block will be sent, so ask us for a photograph of the block on the shelf before paying.
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Poor Preparation Shows Up in Four Places
Poor preparation shows in the same four places on every mounted invertebrate, and each of them reads clearly in a listing photograph taken at reasonable resolution.
Scale loss on the wingsButterfly colour lives in overlapping scales rather than in the wing membrane, so rubbing leaves bald translucent patches near the thorax and along the leading edge. Astro Gallery photographs both faces of a framed butterfly, which is where scale loss becomes obvious against a dark backing board.
The set of the wings and antennaeA properly set specimen has the trailing edge of each forewing squared to the body and both antennae symmetrical, which is only achievable on a spread board while the animal is still relaxed. Drooping wings and one crossed antenna mean the piece was mounted after it had dried.
The seal around the glazingDermestid beetles and their larvae destroy dry insect material, and they enter through a gap in the rebate or a lifting backing board. Check that the frame closes tight on all four edges, because a sealed case is the only practical defence once a specimen hangs on a wall.
Bubbles and crazing in the luciteCasting acrylic in one pour traps air against the specimen and shrinks unevenly, leaving bubbles beside a leg and fine crazing across a face. A degassed multi stage cast reads as optically clear from every angle, which is the test to apply before you order a block for microscope use.
Entomology Listings Carry a Vocabulary Worth Learning
PapilionidaeThe swallowtail family, containing the large tailed butterflies most often farmed in Peru and framed for display, and named for the tail extensions on the hindwing.
SettingThe process of pinning a relaxed specimen to a grooved spread board so the wings dry in a fixed position. Everything about the finished symmetry is decided at this stage.
Riker mountA shallow glass topped case packed with cotton wadding that holds a specimen against the glazing. It differs from a double glazed frame, which allows the underside to be viewed as well.
ChitinThe tough polysaccharide forming an insect or arachnid exoskeleton. Chitin keeps its shape indefinitely once dried, which is why a properly prepared specimen needs no chemical preservation.
Structural colourColour produced by light interference in layered scales rather than by pigment, as in the metallic blue of a Morpho. Structural colour resists fading in a way that yellow and red pigments do not.
FluorescenceThe blue green glow a scorpion cuticle gives off under a 365 nanometre ultraviolet lamp, caused by compounds in the outer hyaline layer and visible through clear lucite.
Ultraviolet Light Does the Damage, Not Age
A framed insect kept correctly outlasts the person who bought it, and almost every ruined specimen was ruined by light or damp rather than by time. Pigmentary yellows and reds in swallowtail wings bleach within a few years on a wall taking direct afternoon sun, while structural blues hold much longer because no dye is involved. Hang frames on an interior wall away from a radiator and a bathroom, and keep indoor humidity steady, since repeated cycles lift the backing board and open a path for pests. Dust the glazing with a dry microfibre cloth and never open a sealed frame to clean inside it.
Classrooms, Studies and Gift Buyers Take Different Pieces
Three audiences arrive at this collection through different searches. Teachers and parents buy the lucite blocks as learning aids, because a sealed cast survives a class of nine year olds and puts a whole scorpion under a stereo microscope without a slide or a preservative. Interior buyers hang the black frames in a study or a hallway, where a row of dark frames on a pale wall reads as a small cabinet of curiosities. Collectors work by species, treating each frame as one entry in a set rather than as decoration.
Gift buying runs across all three. A lucite scorpion suits a birthday, a Halloween table or a stocking, a single framed swallowtail suits a graduation in biology or a new office, and a grouped frame suits a housewarming where the piece has to hold a wall alone. Astro Gallery packs any of them for direct delivery to the recipient and leaves the price off the enclosed documentation on request.
Glass Dictates How We Pack and Insure a Frame
The listed figure is the figure charged, and checkout settles through Shop Pay, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay or a Visa, Mastercard, Discover or Diners Club card. Before committing, ask the gallery for the frame depth, a photograph of the underside of a butterfly, or confirmation of the species name on a scorpion. Every purchase carries an itemised invoice naming the species, the format and the outside dimensions of the piece.
Astro Gallery of Gems has been packing fragile natural history material since 1961, and glazed frames get the treatment glass requires. We tape the glazing so a break cannot travel, fit corner protectors, immobilise the frame inside a fitted carton and double box it. Lucite blocks travel wrapped against surface scratching, the only real risk to a cast specimen. Parcels leave tracked and fully insured with customs paperwork completed in advance, and the returns policy together with the guarantee published on about us applies to every piece.
Rated everywhere we trade
Tell us the wall and we will size the frameSend the width you have available and our team confirms which framed specimens fit, with the outside dimensions and the hook position measured before you order.
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Buyers Ask These Before They Order a Frame
How much does a framed butterfly or insect cost to buy?
Small lucite scorpion blocks open the range, larger cast blocks sit above them, and single specimen frames in glass cost the most because of the preparation and the glazing. The table above carries live prices for every piece in stock, and each figure belongs to that individual item.
Are the butterflies and insects killed for display?
No. The framed specimens come from insect farms where the animals mature and breed in enclosures free of natural predators, and they are collected only after they have completed their natural lifespan. No endangered species is used in these frames.
Will I receive the exact specimen shown in the photograph?
For the glazed frames, yes, since each frame is photographed individually before it goes online. The lucite blocks are listed with a stock photograph and a similar cast is supplied, so ask us to photograph the block currently on the shelf before you purchase it.
Can I hang the frame on a wall straight away?
Yes. Each display frame arrives with a keyhole hook already fitted at the top, which needs one screw or picture hook in the wall. The frames are glazed on both faces, so hanging one slightly away from the wall lets the underside be seen as well.
Will the wing colours fade over time?
Pigmentary yellows and reds fade under direct sunlight, while structural blues and greens hold much longer because the colour comes from light interference rather than dye. Hang the frame on an interior wall out of direct sun and the colour stays stable for decades.
Are these safe for a child or a classroom?
The lucite blocks are sealed solid with no pins, no glass and no chemicals, which is why teachers order them for handling and microscope work. Glazed frames contain glass and belong on a wall rather than in a set of small hands.
Do you ship framed insects internationally?
Yes, tracked and fully insured with customs paperwork prepared before dispatch. Some countries apply their own rules to imported invertebrate material, so email the gallery with your destination before ordering and we will confirm what is possible.
Can I return a framed specimen if it does not suit the room?
Yes, under the terms published on our returns page, and the frame must come back in the packing it arrived in. Asking for the outside dimensions and the hook position beforehand settles the question for most buyers.
Related Natural History Pages Sit Alongside This One
Buyers who arrive for mounted invertebrates usually move next into the older material, where preparation and mounting matter just as much as the specimen itself.
Other natural history specimens
Cased and mounted display
