ABSTRACT
The estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) is an essential information in death investigations. It is necessary to know the developmental data of the most important necrophagous insect species in every geographical area. Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is one of the most common species associated with human body decomposition, especially in the tropics, so a precise knowledge of its life cycle is crucial. However, despite its ubiquity, developmental data in a range of tropical temperatures is scarce. For this reason, the aim of this study is to provide the developmental data of the blowfly, C. megacephala, in a range of tropical temperatures and to apply these data in forensic entomology. Four temperatures were examined (i.e., 27.0°C 29.5°C, 32.0°C and 34.5°C) and the time of developments from egg to adult were recorded. To build the growth curves, five larvae per day were measured with a digital caliper. Accumulated degree-days were calculated and the isomorphen diagram for this species was plotted. As we predicted, the results showed that the life cycle of this species was affected by the increasing temperature. The implications of these new data for determining the minimum PMI in forensic entomology were discussed.
Subject(s)
Diptera , Forensic Entomology , Animals , Humans , Calliphoridae , Temperature , Forensic Sciences , Larva , Life Cycle StagesABSTRACT
@#The estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) is an essential information in death investigations. It is necessary to know the developmental data of the most important necrophagous insect species in every geographical area. Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is one of the most common species associated with human body decomposition, especially in the tropics, so a precise knowledge of its life cycle is crucial. However, despite its ubiquity, developmental data in a range of tropical temperatures is scarce. For this reason, the aim of this study is to provide the developmental data of the blowfly, C. megacephala, in a range of tropical temperatures and to apply these data in forensic entomology. Four temperatures were examined (i.e., 27.0°C 29.5°C, 32.0°C and 34.5°C) and the time of developments from egg to adult were recorded. To build the growth curves, five larvae per day were measured with a digital caliper. Accumulated degree-days were calculated and the isomorphen diagram for this species was plotted. As we predicted, the results showed that the life cycle of this species was affected by the increasing temperature. The implications of these new data for determining the minimum PMI in forensic entomology were discussed.
ABSTRACT
This is the first documentation of parasitic mite, Leptus sp., found on a necrophagous blowfly, Chrysomya villeneuvi collected from a decomposing wild boar carcass placed in Taman Negara (National Park), Kuala Keniam, Pahang, Malaysia. Blowflies around the carcass were captured using an insect net before being examined under a stereomicroscope. Upon microscopic observation, we found a mite attached on the scutellum of C. villeneuvi adult. The mite was carefully removed and preserved in 70% ethanol subsequently. Then, the mite was cleared in lactophenol before being mounted in Hoyer's medium. The morphological identification of the mite was conducted and Leptus sp. was identified. The species belongs to the phalangii species group and the aldonae species subgroup. This study highlights the new association of Leptus sp. and C. villeneuvi for the first time.
Subject(s)
Diptera , Mites , Animals , Cadaver , Calliphoridae , LarvaABSTRACT
@#This is the first documentation of parasitic mite, Leptus sp., found on a necrophagous blowfly, Chrysomya villeneuvi collected from a decomposing wild boar carcass placed in Taman Negara (National Park), Kuala Keniam, Pahang, Malaysia. Blowflies around the carcass were captured using an insect net before being examined under a stereomicroscope. Upon microscopic observation, we found a mite attached on the scutellum of C. villeneuvi adult. The mite was carefully removed and preserved in 70% ethanol subsequently. Then, the mite was cleared in lactophenol before being mounted in Hoyer’s medium. The morphological identification of the mite was conducted and Leptus sp. was identified. The species belongs to the phalangii species group and the aldonae species subgroup. This study highlights the new association of Leptus sp. and C. villeneuvi for the first time.
ABSTRACT
The muscid Synthesiomyia nudiseta (van der Wulp, 1883) is a species with forensic importance in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. This fly has recently been introduced into southern Europe and, until now, had not been recorded in forensic cases in this region. Here, morphology of all larval instars of S. nudiseta is documented in detail by using a combination of light and scanning electron microscopy. Literature data concerning larval morphology are revised and characters allowing identification from other forensically important Muscidae are listed. The life cycle of this species was studied at four constant temperatures: 15, 20, 25 and 30 °C. Total development varied between 46.50 ± 0.97 days at 15 °C and 15.39 ± 0.32 days at 30 °C. Moreover, we report this species breeding in human corpses, for the first time in Europe, in forensic cases from autopsies at the Anatomical Forensic Institute of Madrid and the Institute of Legal Medicine of Alicante, Spain.
