The Methodology to produce Rhodnius prolixus head structures made by 3D printing using Synchrotron Radiation Microtomography

Abstract

3D printing technology has an important role at the study animal anatomy, and, for a long time, scientists have been searched for techniques that allow to create accurate 3D replicas of plants and animal specimens. In this work it was developed a methodology to print insects 3D replicas using X-Ray synchrotron microtomography. The insect chosen was Rhodnius prolixus, a hematophagous Hemiptera traditionally used as a model for studies of insect physiology, vector control strategies and parasite-vector interactions. The results obtained from this work showed that combining microtomography with 3D printing could be a powerful tool to obtain accurate 3D replicas of insects, allowing anatomical studies without the necessity of sacrificing the animal for dissection.