Dipteran blowflies (Calliphoridae) are of great medical and hygienic importance as vectors of pathogens and as parasites of living and dead tissue, and their association with carrion allows their use in forensic entomology. The objective of this study was to determine the synanthropic index of adult Calliphoridae (Diptera) collected in Rio Claro, São Paulo. Sampling occurred between September 2009 and August 2010. Traps baited with sardines, beef liver, and minced meat were assessed for five consecutive days per month in three distinct ecological areas representing urban, rural, and forest environments. The most abundant species was Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann), followed by Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann) and Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius). Lucilia eximia was the only species present in all seasons and the only species collected during the winter. The season with the lowest abundance was winter, with 69 (5.5%) specimens, and spring was the season with the greatest number of specimens collected (774-61.8%). The only species found outside inhabited areas (synanthropic) was Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann), with a synanthropy index (SI) value of +5.7. The SI values for the other species were negative, showing a preference for uninhabited areas. The rural and urban areas were most similar in terms of species composition as were the beef and sardine baits. Among the baits used, liver attracted the greatest abundance of calliphorids, whereas minced meat attracted the greatest diversity.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13744-012-0037-9 | DOI Listing |
Forensic Sci Int
January 2025
Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address:
Necrophagous blow flies are a commonly used forensic tool to estimate the minimum postmortem interval (PMI), where researchers collect development data under constant temperature regimes and construct models to estimate PMI. However, the ambient temperatures of real death scenes are often fluctuant, which limits the reliability of data obtained under constant temperature regimes. Here we investigate the possible differences in the development of Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), an important species in forensic entomology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInsect Sci
January 2025
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Departamento de Ecologia e Evolução, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil.
Succession is one of the most extensively studied ecological phenomena, yet debates persist about the importance of dispersal and external factors in driving this process. We aimed to quantify the influence of these factors by investigating how wing-related traits evolve across succession of blowfly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) communities in South Brazil. Rat carrion was placed in both forest and grassland habitats, and the associated blowfly communities were documented throughout the decomposition process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInsects
December 2024
Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China.
Estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) is critical in the field of forensic science, and necrophagous insects play a significant role in this process. (Fabricius) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a common necrophagous insect species, making its rapid and accurate identification essential. However, commonly used molecular biology methods, such as DNA barcode, still have some limitations in identifying necrophagous insects as they are often complex, time-consuming, and reliant on laboratory instruments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInsect Sci
December 2024
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Departamento de Ecologia e Evolução, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil.
Succession is one of the most extensively studied ecological phenomena, yet debates persist about the importance of dispersal and external factors in driving this process. We aimed to quantify the influence of these factors by investigating how wing-related traits evolve across succession of blowfly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) communities in South Brazil. Rat carrion was placed in both forest and grassland habitats, and the associated blowfly communities were documented throughout the decomposition process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Entomol
December 2024
Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Joshua Tree National Park (JOTR) in southern California offers a unique opportunity to explore insect biodiversity across 2 distinct desert ecosystems: the lower-elevation Sonoran Desert and the higher-elevation Mojave Desert. In these harsh environments, many blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) serve as important decomposers, feeding on animal waste and decomposing tissue. Some blow fly species, notably non-native species, are associated with human activity, which underscores the need to study their communities in JOTR, where annual visitation has reached 3 million.
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