Abstract
Traditionally, the study of anatomy in insects has been based on dissection techniques. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is an X-ray based technique that allows visualization of the internal anatomy of insects in situ and does not require dissections. We report on the use of micro-CT scans to study, in detail, the internal structures and organs of the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), the most damaging insect pest of coffee worldwide. Detailed images and videos allowed us to make the first description of the aedeagus and the first report of differences between the sexes based on internal anatomy (flight musculature, midgut shape, hindgut convolutions, brain shape and size) and external morphology (lateral outline of the pronotum and number of abdominal tergites). This study is the first complete micro-CT reconstruction of the anatomy of an insect and is also the smallest insect to have been evaluated in this way. High quality rendered images, and additional supplementary videos and 3D models are suitable for use with mobile devices and are useful tools for future research and as teaching aids.
Highlights
The study of anatomy in insects has been based on dissection techniques
Even though > 1,800 papers have been published on the coffee berry borer[9], knowledge about its internal anatomy is restricted to a handful of papers that use dissection techniques[10,11,12,13,14]
A relatively new technique based on X-rays, known as micro-computed tomography, allows visualization of the insect’s internal anatomy in situ, without the need for dissection; results have been validated by comparing them with classical destructive methodologies[17,18]
Summary
The study of anatomy in insects has been based on dissection techniques. We report on the use of micro-CT scans to study, in detail, the internal structures and organs of the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), the most damaging insect pest of coffee worldwide. We present a detailed study of all the anatomical structures and organs in the coffee berry borer using micro-CT, with the exception of the respiratory system, which is presented separately[19] This is in contrast to other insect-related micro-CT papers that focus on specific aspects such as cephalic anatomy[20], metamorphosis[21,22], tracheal systems[23,24,25,26,27,28], mycetangia[29,30,31], mandibular muscles[32], the alimentary canal[33], respiratory volume[34], genitalia[35] and the brain[36]. Together with the study on the respiratory system[19], this paper represents the first holistic view of the entire anatomy of the coffee berry borer, and to the best of our knowledge, is the smallest insect to have been subjected to micro-CT
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