In vivo observation of metamorphosis of Plodia interpunctella Hubner using three-dimensional optical coherence tomography

Morphological assessment and three-dimensional reconstructions of internal structures of Plodia interpunctella Hubner during metamorphosis stages were experimentally demonstrated using optical coherence tomography (OCT) for the first time. The conventional, complex sectioning methods were significantly simplified owing to the non-invasive three-dimensional imaging capability of OCT. Further, this study demonstrates the use of OCT as a non-invasive detection tool for in vivo morphological observation of metamorphosis stages to gain a better understanding about the growth of internal organs, which can be considered a useful discovery in the field of entomology. Thus, the metamorphosis stages starting from the larva, three pupa stages to the adult stage were periodically visualized to examine the development of internal organs at each specific stage. This study essentially offers real-time morphological information by non-destructive observation of the organism and can also be useful for the investigation of other agricultural pests.