Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011;5(1):54-62.
Epub 2011 Jun 30.

Temperature Requirements of Some Common Forensically Important Blow and Flesh Flies (Diptera) under Laboratory Conditions

Ah Shiravi  1 , R Mostafavi, K Akbarzadeh, Ma Oshaghi
Affiliations

Temperature Requirements of Some Common Forensically Important Blow and Flesh Flies (Diptera) under Laboratory Conditions

Ah Shiravi et al. Iran J Arthropod Borne Dis. 2011.

Abstract

Background: The aim of his study was to determine development time and thermal requirements of three myiasis flies including Chrysomya albiceps, Lucilia sericata, and Sarcophaga sp.

Methods: Rate of development (ROD) and accumulated degree day (ADD) of three important forensic flies in Iran, Chrysomya albiceps, Lucilia sericata, and Sarcophaga sp. by rearing individuals under a single constant temperature (28° C) was calculated using specific formula for four developmental events including egg hatching, larval stages, pupation, and eclosion.

Results: Rates of development decreased step by step as the flies grew from egg to larvae and then to adult stage; however, this rate was bigger for blowflies (C. albiceps and L. sericata) in comparison with the flesh fly Sarcophaga sp. Egg hatching, larval stages, and pupation took about one fourth and half of the time of the total pre-adult development time for all of the three species. In general, the flesh fly Sarcophaga sp. required more heat for development than the blowflies. The thermal constants (K) were 130-195, 148-222, and 221-323 degree-days (DD) for egg hatching to adult stages of C. albiceps, L. sericata, and Sarcophaga sp., respectively.

Conclusion: This is the first report on thermal requirement of three forensic flies in Iran. The data of this study provide preliminary information for forensic entomologist to establish PMI in the area of study.

Keywords: Degree Day; Forensic Entomology; Larval development; Myiasis; PMI.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Photographs of Chrysomia albiceps, Lucilia sericata, and Sarchophaga sp. from left to right respectively
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Al-Misned FAM, Amoudi MA, Abou-Fannah SSM. Development rate, mortality and growth rate of immature Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) at constant laboratory temperatures. J King Saud Univ Agric Sci. 2003;15(1):49–58.
    1. Al-Misned FAM. Effect of temperature on development and mortality of immature Sarcophaga (Liosarcophaga) dux Thomson (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) J King Saud Univ Agric Sci. 2003;16(1):51–60.
    1. Anderson G. Insect Succession on Carrion and its Relationship to Determining Time of Death. In: Byrd JH, Castner JL, editors. Forensic Entomology: The Utility of Arthropods in Legal Investigations. CRC Press; Boca Raton: 2001. pp. 143–177.
    1. Anderson GS. Minimum and maximum development rates of some forensically important Calliphoridae (Diptera) J Forensic Sci. 2000;45:824–832. - PubMed
    1. Arnott S, Turner B. Post-feeding larval behaviour in the blowfly, Calliphora vicina: effects on post-mortem interval estimates. Forensic Sci Int. 2008;177(2–3):162–167. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources