Exploring female terminalia musculature in darkling beetles using micro-CT scanning techniques

The ovipositors of different groups of Tenebrionidae are often highly modified, which largely disrupts phylogenetic studies based on female terminalia features. In order to investigate new ways of defining homology, an investigation of the muscular system of the ovipositors of selected darkling beetle species has been carried out with the application of micro-computed tomography. Up to five different muscle pairs were recovered in the case of the studied species. Regardless of the high morphological distinctiveness of the investigated ovipositors, the obtained three-dimensional models revealed similarities within the musculature. This study illuminates the muscular system as a reliable reference point for recognizing homologous elements between highly modified ovipositors of darkling beetles.