Application of microCT in the study of the anatomy of small marine molluscs

Aims Different techniques are used for the study of the external anatomy of marine organisms (in vivo observation under binocular stereo microscope, optical microscopy, SEM). In the case of SEM, samples must undergo a previous treatment before being scanned. The study of the internal anatomy of these animals is carried out through techniques of dissection or classical histology, which are complex processes resulting in the sample being destroyed (in the case of dissection) or cut in hundreds of thin sections which are studied under optical microscope (in the case of histology). This poses a problem when we have few or just one specimen of the species available for study. Micro-computed tomography is a non-invasive technique which allows to get information both in 2D and 3D of the anatomy of the animal without destroying the specimen (Hörnschemeyer et al., 2002; Golding & Jones, 2007). This characteristic makes it a good alternative to the classical methods when studying type material of museums or unique specimens which are to be kept intact. Some authors (Golding & Jones, 2007; Golding et al., 2009; Metscher, 2009; Faulwetter et al., 2013a,b; Candás et al., 2014) have carried out studies on the use of microtomography techniques in some marine organisms and obtained good results. With this work we aim to get to know the effectiveness of the use of microCT in the study of the anatomy of several groups of small-sized marine Mollusca.