Development and application of 3D digital imaging methods in palaeontology

Authors of the result: Miroslav Hain, Jozef Klembara

Modern digital imaging methods – X-ray microtomography and photogrammetric scanning with subsequent data processing and virtual 3D imaging were developed and subsequently used in the study of palaeontological finds: the holotype of the amniote Brouffia orientalis from the Upper Carboniferous of the Czech Republic and the discovery of the Mesozoic cockroach of the genus Praeblattella in the Myanmar Amber. In the case of Brouffia, this is the only known specimen, and the virtual 3D model created serves as the basis for a new reconstruction of the skull in dorsal, lateral, and ventral aspects, which has allowed previous morphological descriptions to be substantially refined. Using these modern digital 3D imaging methods, new, highly detailed information on the structure of the individual bones of the skull and mandible was obtained, allowing the creation of a complete model of his skull. To evaluate the relatedness of Brouffia orientalis, this taxon was coded using published morphological character matrices. Parsimony and Bayesian analyses allowed conclusions to be drawn about the phylogenetic position of Brouffia. Unique in the case of the cockroach genus Praeblattella in amber, microtomographic (microCT) analysis revealed an ootheca (a special leathery shell in which female cockroaches lay eggs) in which developed embryos were detected.

The results of the work have been published in CC’s major scientific journals (D1, Q2).

Projects: VEGA 1/0228/19, VEGA 1/0191/21, VEGA 1/0160/24, APVV-22-0328 (METIM)

Publications:

• KLEMBARA, Jozef – RUTA, M. – ANDERSON, J. – MAYER, T. – HAIN, Miroslav – VALAŠKA, D. A redescription of Brouffia orientalis Carroll & Baird, 1972 from the Upper Carboniferous of the Czech Republic and the status and affinities of protorothyridid amniotes. In Swiss Journal of Palaeontology, 2024, vol. 143, art. no. 33. ISSN 1664-2376. (3 – IF2023) Q1(D1) (D1: Clarivate/WoS JIF 2023 95.6 %, 2023 Scimago Journal Rank 0.92)
• ŠMÍDOVÁ, L. – BRUTHANSOVÁ, J. – HAIN, Miroslav. The ootheca-bearing cockroach Praeblattella indicates primitive external egg retention in the Cretaceous. In Palaeontographica Abteilung A, 2024, vol. 327, no. 4-6, p. 179-190. ISSN 0375-0442. (1.8 – IF2023) Q2

 

Fig.: Unique microtomographic imaging of a Mesozoic cockroach of the genus Praeblattella in amber after segmentation with a semi-translucent ootheca with embryos