Abstract: 【Aim】 The aim of this study is to investigate the anatomy of the brain of Helicoverpa assulta (Lepidotpera: Noctuidae) adults and to create a digital three-dimensional brain model.【Methods】 Immunohistochemical staining with synaptic protein antibody was used to label the neuropil structure of the brain. By using a confocal laser scanning microscope we obtained digital images of the brain, which were analyzed by using the three-dimensional image software, AMIRA. 【Results】 The immunostaining with synaptic protein antibody visualized the neuropil regions of the brain and the gnathal ganglion of H. assulta. In adults, the brain and gnathal are fused, but with a hole in the middle, which results from the bypassing esophagus. The brain is composed of protoecerebrum, deutocerebrum and tritocerebrum. Based on the synapsin staining, such neuropils of the brain as the optic lobes, the anterior optic tubercles, the mushroom bodies, the central complex, the antennal lobes and their sub-regions were identified and reconstructed. In addition, the large part of the protocerebrum surrounding these neuropils, plus the gnathal ganglion, was reconstructed and categorized as the whole midbrain. This structure includes about 55.05% of the total brain neuropil. 【Conclusion】 These results provide knowledge that is essential for understanding the basic neuroanatomical principles underlying information processing, integration of multimodal input, and behavioral regulation. And the findings are important for future projects intending to study the development, variation, and plasticity of insect brain structures.

Key words: Helicoverpa assulta, brain, neuropil, anatomical structure, three-dimensional model