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El-Hefnawy AA, Abul Dahab FF, Ibrahim AA, Salama EM, Mahmoud SH, Sanford MR, Kovar SJ, Tarone AM. Developmental Plasticity of the Flesh Fly Blaesoxipha plinthopyga (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) on Different Substrates. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 57:1686-1693. [PMID: 32785585 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjaa107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Forensic entomologists rely on laboratory growth data to estimate the time of colonization on human remains thus extrapolating a minimum postmortem interval (PMI) if assumptions are satisfied. The flesh fly Blaesoxipha plinthopyga (Wiedemann) is one species that occurs in casework in Idaho, Texas, and central California. Because of the few laboratory studies on the development of this fly, the following study was conducted to determine if different substrates impact immature development of the species. In this study, flies were reared on different substrates that are likely to be encountered at indoor and outdoor scenes (Wet Sand, Dry Sand, Clothes [Polyester fibers], and Carpet [Polypropylene fibers]) to determine the influence of substrate on larval, intrapuparial, and total immature development times at 25°C, 50% RH, and 14:10 (L:D) h cycle. The results revealed that substrate significantly affected minimum immature development times without affecting the sexes differently; though a female bias in sex ratio was observed consistently. Average minimum larval developmental times were 160-179 h with a significantly faster development in Carpet than in Clothes. Similarly, average minimum intrapuparial developmental times were 331-352 h; fastest on Carpet and the slowest in Dry Sand. For this species, it may be important to consider the substrates encountered at a death scene as they may affect the development of B. plinthopyga (Wiedemann) in casework by up to 29 h at 25°C and 50% humidity. These effects will also be important to consider when planning future development studies with the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed A El-Hefnawy
- Entomology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
| | - Faten F Abul Dahab
- Entomology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
| | | | - Elham M Salama
- Entomology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
| | - Shaymaa H Mahmoud
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Menuofia University, Shebin Elkom, Egypt
| | | | - Scott J Kovar
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
| | - Aaron M Tarone
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
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Lesne P, Srivastav SP, El-Hefnawy A, Parrott JJ, Sanford MR, Tarone AM. Facultative Viviparity in a Flesh Fly (Diptera: Sarcophagidae): Forensic Implications of High Variability in Rates of Oviparity in Blaesoxipha plinthopyga (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 57:697-704. [PMID: 31909421 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Flesh flies are major primary consumers of carrion and are commonly found on human remains. Due to this latter feeding habit, their development rates can be used to provide temporal information in forensic investigations. This is usually done by referencing published flesh fly development datasets. Flesh flies are typically assumed to be strictly viviparous and datasets reporting their development rates therefore start at the first larval instar. However, an increasing number of studies has identified oviposition by flesh flies, including the forensically relevant species Blaesoxipha plinthopyga Wiedemann. To assess the impact of egg-laying behavior on casework, oviparity rates and time before larval hatching were assessed under controlled laboratory conditions that reflect common casework conditions in Harris County, Texas. We demonstrated systematic deposition of viable eggs but at a very variable rate between samples. Similarly, the duration between oviposition and larval hatching was highly variable, with some eggs taking more than a day to hatch after deposition. These results highlight the need to account for embryonic development in forensic investigations including B. plinthopyga and advocates for the re-evaluation of the assumed strict viviparity of the Sarcophagidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Lesne
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
| | | | - Ahmed El-Hefnawy
- Entomology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, Qualiobya, Egypt
| | - Jonathan J Parrott
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
- School of Math and Natural Sciences, Arizona State University, Glendale, AZ
| | | | - Aaron M Tarone
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
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Chen W, Shang Y, Ren L, Xie K, Zhang X, Zhang C, Sun S, Wang Y, Zha L, Guo Y. Developing a MtSNP-based genotyping system for genetic identification of forensically important flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). Forensic Sci Int 2018; 290:178-188. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Revised: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Ren L, Shang Y, Chen W, Meng F, Cai J, Zhu G, Chen L, Wang Y, Deng J, Guo Y. A brief review of forensically important flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). Forensic Sci Res 2018; 3:16-26. [PMID: 30483648 PMCID: PMC6197121 DOI: 10.1080/20961790.2018.1432099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 01/21/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Forensic entomology could provide valuable data for the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin) estimation and other relevant information, such as causes and circumstances of death. Some representatives of flesh flies are one of the dominant necrophagous insects during early stages of decomposition, demonstrating unique biological characteristics compared with other necrophagous flies. Moreover, they lead to global health concerns as carriers of various pathogenic micro-organisms, and dominantly result in the traumatic myiasis. Thus, sarcophagid flies are considered important in decomposition processes for PMImin estimation. However, the utility of sarcophagid flies has been seriously hampered by limited ecological, biological and taxonomic knowledge of them. The aim of this paper is to provide a brief review on the species, distribution and biological habit of forensically important sarcophagid flies. In addition, the relation between traumatic myiasis and flesh flies, molecular identification methods and developmental pattern of flesh flies are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lipin Ren
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yanjie Shang
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Fanming Meng
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jifeng Cai
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Guanghui Zhu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Lushi Chen
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Guizhou Police Officer Vocational College, Guiyang, China
| | - Yong Wang
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jianqiang Deng
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China
| | - Yadong Guo
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
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Insects and associated arthropods analyzed during medicolegal death investigations in Harris County, Texas, USA: January 2013- April 2016. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0179404. [PMID: 28604832 PMCID: PMC5467878 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The application of insect and arthropod information to medicolegal death investigations is one of the more exacting applications of entomology. Historically limited to homicide investigations, the integration of full time forensic entomology services to the medical examiner's office in Harris County has opened up the opportunity to apply entomology to a wide variety of manner of death classifications and types of scenes to make observations on a number of different geographical and species-level trends in Harris County, Texas, USA. In this study, a retrospective analysis was made of 203 forensic entomology cases analyzed during the course of medicolegal death investigations performed by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences in Houston, TX, USA from January 2013 through April 2016. These cases included all manner of death classifications, stages of decomposition and a variety of different scene types that were classified into decedents transported from the hospital (typically associated with myiasis or sting allergy; 3.0%), outdoor scenes (32.0%) or indoor scenes (65.0%). Ambient scene air temperature at the time scene investigation was the only significantly different factor observed between indoor and outdoor scenes with average indoor scene temperature being slightly cooler (25.2°C) than that observed outdoors (28.0°C). Relative humidity was not found to be significantly different between scene types. Most of the indoor scenes were classified as natural (43.3%) whereas most of the outdoor scenes were classified as homicides (12.3%). All other manner of death classifications came from both indoor and outdoor scenes. Several species were found to be significantly associated with indoor scenes as indicated by a binomial test, including Blaesoxipha plinthopyga (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), all Sarcophagidae (including B. plinthopyga), Megaselia scalaris Loew (Diptera: Phoridae), Synthesiomyia nudiseta Wulp (Diptera: Muscidae) and Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). The only species that was a significant indicator of an outdoor scene was Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). All other insect species that were collected in five or more cases were collected from both indoor and outdoor scenes. A species list with month of collection and basic scene characteristics with the length of the estimated time of colonization is also presented. The data presented here provide valuable casework related species data for Harris County, TX and nearby areas on the Gulf Coast that can be used to compare to other climate regions with other species assemblages and to assist in identifying new species introductions to the area. This study also highlights the importance of potential sources of uncertainty in preparation and interpretation of forensic entomology reports from different scene types.
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Samerjai C, Sanit S, Sukontason K, Morakote N, Wannasan A, Pereira RM, Sukontason KL. Morphology of immature stages of flesh flies, Boettcherisca nathani and Lioproctia pattoni (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). Acta Trop 2016; 163:109-20. [PMID: 27515808 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2016.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The flesh flies are medically-important because the larvae found in the human corpses can provide evidence in forensic investigations through larva identification and their developmental rate. Firstly, we thoroughly described the larval morphology of Boettcherisca nathani and Lioproctia pattoni, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The third instar of the two species differed markedly in two characters: (1) spines between the prothorax and mesothorax-B. nathani has more or less slender triangular spines, with those at the posterior region more slender than the anterior region; whereas L. pattoni has stout triangular spines with one or two tips anteriorly, with smaller and tapered triangular shape, grouped two to four laterally in the posterior end, and (2) morphology of the peristigmatic tufts at the posterior spiracle-B. nathani has extensively branched long, fine hairs, whereas tufts in L. pattoni have moderately branched long, fine hairs. The anterior spiracle displayed similarity; B. nathani has two irregular rows of 21-27 papillae, while L. pattoni has a single irregular row of 20-28 papillae. Secondly, we use light microscopy to compare morphology of the third instar of the two species and additional three species, i.e., Bercaea africa, Parasarcophaga dux and Liopygia ruficornis. Particular attention was paid to the features of anterior spiracle, spines between prothorax and mesothorax and posterior spiracle. These results are useful in species identification and estimation of age of larvae found associated with corpses.
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