MRI OF INSECT FLIGHT MUSCLE IN A BEETLE

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Body length Body width Body thickness Male 70 mm 20 mm 15 mm Female 70-75 mm 20-22 mm 1) Image 3D internal architecture of flight muscle in thorax (and include abdomen in MRI) of a large beetle known to be a strong flyer (palo verde root borers (Derobrachus geminatus) just collected and fedexed from Tucson, Arizona). The size of the male beetle's body is 70 mm long, 20 mm wide and 15 mm thick. Legs and antennae can be trimmed or removed if not easily tucked in alongside the body of a dead beetle. I want the MRI in order to have an in situ 3D view of the flight muscle undisturbed by dissection. 100 um resolution is ok. 10 um might be interesting if avsilable and 100 um already booked up. Beetles are so heavily sclerotized that gentle flight muscle dissection is very difficult; I have never suceeded with random-catch local NC beetles. Beetles are the last of 4 families of flying insects whose shared type of flight muscle I want to study by electron microscopy and fiber x-ray diffraction. I will asphyxiate a beetle with HCN or nitrogen gas just before starting MRI. Only the larvae eat. The male beetles are not known to eat after hatching and flying about to find and impregnate females. I don't know yet how long they can live on water alone, maybe less than a week.