The tracheal system of the Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) - A micro-CT study

X-ray micro-CT has been used to study the tracheal system of Pre and Post hibernation Queen wasps (Vespula vulgaris) and their workers. We have compared our findings in wasps with Snodgrass's description of the tracheal system of the honeybee as characterised by anatomical dissection. Our images, whilst broadly similar, identify the tracheal system as being considerably more complex than previously suggested. One of the 30 wasps imaged had a markedly different, previously undescribed tracheal system. Since completing this study, a large micro-CT study from the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) has been published. This used different software (Slicer) and analysed 16bit digital data. We have compared our methods with that described in the AMNH publication, adopted their suggested nomenclature and have made recommendations for future studies.

Automated summary

X-ray micro-CT was used to study the tracheal system of Pre and Post hibernation Queen wasps and their workers. The findings showed that the tracheal system is more complex than previously thought, and one wasp had a previously undescribed tracheal system. Comparison was made with a study from the American Museum of Natural History, and recommendations for future studies were given.