Fig. 7. Two examples of original µCT-reconstructed cross sections through one middle ear of C. asiatica. The sections are therefore in parallel and 1.8 mm apart. (A) Cross-section through the tympanic membrane (TM) and the manubrium (MA). (B) Cross section 1.8 mm towards the tip of the malleus (M) head, showing the thin structure of the anterior process of the malleus (APM). The asterisks represent the stapedial artery (it bifurcates before it passes the stapes and fuses again after it passes it). I, incus; S, stapes; CO, cochlea; EAM, external auditory meatus; DO, dome (bony shell of external auditory canal near the TM).