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Fig. 2 | Zoological Letters

Fig. 2

From: X-ray imaging of a water bear offers a new look at tardigrade internal anatomy

Fig. 2

3D renderings of selected structures of the tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris. a The digestive system and associated structures. Ventrolateral view; anterior is up. The large midgut is the most prominent region of the digestive tract. Note how the large salivary glands (yellow) surround the pharynx (red). The transition between the midgut and hindgut is marked by the attachment sites of the Malpighian tubules (green). b Frontal-ventral view emphasizing the organization of the buccopharyngeal apparatus. c Posterior view showing the orientation of the ovary (teal) and Malpighian tubules (green). Notice how the ovary is located to the left of the midgut, displacing the midgut to the right side of the midline of the body. The Malpighian tubules consist of paired ventral units and an unpaired dorsal unit. d The 137 storage cells of this specimen are distributed throughout the body. Dorsal view; anterior is up. Abbreviations: bt, buccal tube; br, brain; cg, claw glands; cl, cloaca; es, esophagus; hg, hindgut; mg, midgut; mt, Malpighian tubules; oc, outer connectives; ov, ovary; ph, pharynx; sc, storage cells; sg, salivary glands; st, stylet. Scale bar: 20 μm (for a-d)

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