Display Model: Complete Musculature of a microscopic Sandworm

This is a display model of the musculature system of Xenotrichula intermedia Remane 1932, a hairyback sandworm that lives in the space between grains of coastal sands. Scanning the musculature using Confocal Laser Scanning Miscrocopy (cLSM), and special dyes that bind to muscle-specific protein (f-Actin), we can visualise the entire musculature and discern different species that otherwise look alike.

This is a model generated from a raw cLSM scan, using slight gaussian smoothing of the image stack, binary segmentation using Li's method, and marching cubes meshing.

The model is best printed as arranged in the .3mf file, with supports being required. It is designed to be mounted on a 13mm (⌀ 4.6 mm) nail. A model stand can be obtained from this model.

Taxon Overview [1]

Print Settings

Sources

[1] Münter, L. & Kieneke, A. 2017: Novel myo-anatomical insights to the Xenotrichula intermedia species complex (Gastrotricha: Paucitubulatina): Implications for a pan-European species and reconsideration of muscle homology among Paucitubulatina DOI: 10.2988/17-00013.