Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Microscopy of The Internal Structure of the Carrion Rolling Scarab Canthon cyanellus cyanellus (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)

Abstract

Abstract Nuclear magnetic resonance microscopy was used to observe the internal structure of male and female carrion rolling scarab Canthon cyanellus cyanellus adults. Images were produced with a NMR microscope built at the University of Orsay, France. The NMR microscope operated at 360 MHz and produced images of live insects with an in-plan resolution of 30 μm × 30 μm from a slice 125 μm thick. NMR images of horizontal slices through head, thorax, and abdomen of males and females of different ages and physiological stages were obtained. Internal organs such as reproductive organs, gut, fat body, and pygidial glands were clearly observed in both sexes; ova at different stages and aedeagus were identified in females and males, respectively. Pygidial glands in both sexes and ova and fat body in females seem to be good indicators of the reproductive condition of the beetles. These results show the potential of NMR microscopy as a non-invasive method to study the relationships between the internal morphology,...