C-banding and FISH in chromosomes of the blow flies Chrysomya megacephala and Chrysomya putoria (Diptera, Calliphoridae)

Abstract Sex is a factor influencing development in many insect species, but is not widely studied in forensically important blow flies. If sex influences blow fly development, knowing the sex of a larva from a corpse can increase precision in estimates of that larva’s age. The improved prediction of larval age will make estimates of time since death using entomological evidence better. Larvae lack sexually dimorphic morphological characteristics, so sex is not immediately known visually. To generate sexually dimorphic reference growth curves, a subsample must be large enough to ensure enough males and females are present for comparison. Using two entire age Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) cohorts, we evaluated the minimum sample number needed to have enough individuals of both sexes for comparison using 95% prediction intervals. Through a simulation of three trials of 1000 random replicates, we determined that a sample size of 19 would prevent any instance of a comparison not occurring because of insufficient sampling from one sex. As the current method for molecular sex determination can be expensive, we also compared how the results of various subsampling percentages compare those of the entire age cohorts. We found that subsampling at least 50% of an entire cohort leads to almost identical results in comparison to the entire age cohort. Together, these findings will help establish guidelines for generating sex-specific reference growth curves. A uniform approach to generating these sex-specific growth curves will lead to more consistency in age estimates made from them.

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Urban blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in four cities of the Colombian Caribbean coast

Intropica ◽

10.21676/23897864.1443 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. 84 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Melissa Santodomingo-M ◽

Adriana Santodomingo-Santodomingo ◽

César Valverde-C

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Lucilia Sericata ◽

Caribbean Coast ◽

Blow Flies ◽

Human Faeces ◽

Chrysomya Megacephala ◽

Chrysomya Albiceps ◽

Cochliomyia Macellaria ◽

The Family

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the species composition of the family Calliphoridae from samples collected in four different cities in the Colombian Caribbean coast. Van Someren-Rydon traps were used baited with human faeces, rotten fish and fermented fruit were used. Six traps were placed in each city (two traps per type of bait), for a total of 24 traps. They were left for 72 hours in each site and samples were collected every 12 hours (day and night). 5654 individuals were identified, belonging to the subfamilies Chrysomyinae and Luciliinae. The identified species were Cochliomyia macellaria, Chrysomya albiceps, Chrysomya megacephala, Lucilia eximia, Lucilia sericata and Chloroprocta idioidea, expanding the range of distribution for the last two species. The best bait was the rotten fish and the best time to collect these species was during daylight.

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Blow Flies Visiting Decaying Alligators: Is Succession Synchronous or Asynchronous?

Psyche A Journal of Entomology ◽

10.1155/2009/575362 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2009 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Mark P. Nelder ◽

John W. McCreadie ◽

Clinton S. Major

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo ◽

Monte Carlo Simulations ◽

Phormia Regina ◽

Community Succession ◽

Blow Fly ◽

Chrysomya Rufifacies ◽

Site Specific ◽

Blow Flies ◽

Chrysomya Megacephala ◽

Cochliomyia Macellaria

Succession patterns of adult blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on decaying alligators were investigated in Mobile (Ala, USA) during August 2002. The most abundant blow fly species visiting the carcasses wereChrysomya rufifacies(Macquart),Cochliomyia macellaria(Fabricus),Chrysomya megacephala(Fabricus),Phormia regina(Meigen), andLucilia coeruleiviridis(Macquart).Lucilia coeruleiviridiswas collected more often during the early stages of decomposition, followed byChrysomyaspp.,Cochliomyia macellaria, andPhormia reginain the later stages.Lucilia coeruleiviridiswas the only synchronous blow fly on the three carcasses; other blow fly species exhibited only site-specific synchrony. Using dichotomous correlations and analyses of variance, we demonstrated that blow fly-community succession was asynchronous among three alligators; however, Monte Carlo simulations indicate that there was some degree of synchrony between the carcasses.

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Chronobiological Effect on the Reproductive Behavior of Chrysomya megacephala (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Journal of Medical Entomology ◽

10.1093/jme/tjab173 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Feng-Hsuan Chen ◽

Shiuh-Feng Shiao

Keyword(s):

Oviposition Behavior ◽

Continuous Light ◽

Developmental Time ◽

Laboratory Setting ◽

Continuous Darkness ◽

Blow Flies ◽

Chrysomya Megacephala ◽

Unknown Reason ◽

Free Running ◽

Free Running Period

Abstract The most widely used entomological method of determining the time since death (minimum postmortem interval, mPMI) has been calculating the developmental time of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on the deceased body. However, because blow flies are known to be diurnal, nocturnal oviposition has been excluded from standard mPMI calculations. This has been challenged by recent studies demonstrating nocturnal oviposition due to an unknown reason. Therefore, this study investigated the role of chronobiology. We recorded the locomotion amount and pattern of Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) under different chronobiological conditions and examined whether Ch. megacephala can oviposit under nighttime conditions in field and laboratory settings. Subjects were found to have a daily activity pattern under normal darkness conditions (12:12 L:D) and under continuous darkness (DD), but they exhibited no pattern under continuous light (LL). Free-running period was approximately 1,341 min/d (22.35 h/d). In the field, no flies were observed during nighttime. Oviposition occurred in the laboratory setting during daytime with no lights and during nighttime with artificial lights. Free-running subjects oviposited in both active and resting periods, with more eggs laid during active than resting periods. The result of this study indicates it is possible to induce oviposition behavior during evening hours on Ch. megacephala. However, this was only observed in the laboratory setting and could only happen during the flies’ subjective day.

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SPECIES COMPOSITION OF CARRION BLOW FLIES IN NORTHERN THAILAND: ALTITUDE APPRAISAL

Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo ◽

10.1590/s0036-46652014000200016 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 56 (2) ◽

pp. 179-182 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Kittikhun Moophayak ◽

Tunwadee Klong-Klaew ◽

Kom Sukontason ◽

Hiromu Kurahashi ◽

Jeffery K. Tomberlin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Chiang Mai ◽

Northern Thailand ◽

Blow Flies ◽

Chrysomya Megacephala ◽

Predominant Species ◽

Forested Areas ◽

Sweep Net

Distribution and occurrence of blow flies of forensic importance was performed during 2007 and 2008 in Chiang Mai and Lampang Provinces, northern Thailand. Surveys were conducted in forested areas for 30 minutes using a sweep net to collected flies attracted to a bait. A total of 2,115 blow flies belonging to six genera and 14 species were collected; Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) (44.7%), C. pinguis (Walker) (15.1%), C. chani Kurahashi (9.3%), C. thanomthini Kurahashi & Tumrasvin (0.3%); Achoetandrus rufifacies (Macquart) (10.5%), A. villeneuvi (Patton) (2.2%); Lucilia papuensis Macquart (2.2%), L. porphyrina (Walker) (12.4%), L. sinensis Aubertin (0.7%); Hemipyrellia ligurriens(Wiedemann) (1.3%), H. pulchra(Wiedemann) (0.1%); Hypopygiopsis infumata (Bigot) (0.6%), Hy. tumrasvini Kurahashi (0.2%) and Ceylonomyia nigripes Aubertin (0.4%). Among them, C. megacephala was the predominant species collected, particularly in the summer. The species likely to prevail in highland areas are C. pinguis, C. thanomthini, Hy. tumrasvini, L. papuensis and L. porphyrina.

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