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Dar TA, Mir AH. Blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) as potential mechanical vectors of the protozoan cyst and helminthic eggs in Kashmir Himalaya, India. J Parasit Dis 2024; 48:283-288. [PMID: 38840884 PMCID: PMC11147968 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-024-01663-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are an important group of non-biting flies that are potential mechanical vectors of protozoan and helminthic pathogens. The present study was carried out to isolate and identify protozoan cysts and helminthic eggs transmitted by blowflies. Surveys were carried out at six different sites, viz., butcher shops, fish markets, garbage piles, water bodies, and open vegetation in the Kashmir Himalaya. The flies were collected with the help of a sweeping net and using day-old beef liver as bait from March 2021 to February 2023. A total of 968 blowflies were collected, out of which 83 were found carrying at least one protozoan cyst and helminthic egg with six identified species of parasites. Garbage piles were recorded with the highest number of positive cases (10.81%), while human habitation had the highest transmission rate (3.3%). Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) was reported to have the highest number of parasitic cysts and ova (one protozoan cyst and three helminthic eggs), while Ascaris lumbricoides and Entamoeba coli were found to be the most abundant parasites reported from the surface of these flies. The number of parasites isolated from the surface of the blowflies was statistically significant (F = 9.073, df = 1, and p = 0.014), indicating a positive association between the number of parasites isolated from blowflies and the collection sites. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12639-024-01663-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanveer Ahmad Dar
- Entomology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir 190006 India
| | - Altaf Hussain Mir
- Entomology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir 190006 India
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2
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Khosravi G, Akbarzadeh K, Karimian F, Koosha M, Saeedi S, Oshaghi MA. A survey of Wolbachia infection in brachyceran flies from Iran. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301274. [PMID: 38776328 PMCID: PMC11111063 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia is a maternally inherited intracellular bacterium that is considered to be the most plentiful endosymbiont found in arthropods. It reproductively manipulates its host to increase the chances of being transmitted to the insect progeny; and it is currently used as a means of suppressing disease vector populations or controlling vector-borne diseases. Studies of the dissemination and prevalence of Wolbachia among its arthropod hosts are important for its possible use as a biological control agent. The molecular identification of Wolbachia relies on different primers sets due to Wolbachia strain variation. Here, we screened for the presence of Wolbachia in a broad range of Brachycera fly species (Diptera), collected from different regions of Iran, using nine genetic markers (wsp, ftsZ, fbpA, gatB, CoxA, gltA, GroEL dnaA, and 16s rRNA), for detecting, assessing the sensitivity of primers for detection, and phylogeny of this bacterium. The overall incidence of Wolbachia among 22 species from six families was 27.3%. The most commonly positive fly species were Pollenia sp. and Hydrotaea armipes. However, the bacterium was not found in the most medically important flies or in potential human disease vectors, including Musca domestica, Sarcophaga spp., Calliphora vicinia, Lucilia sericata, and Chrysomya albiceps. The primer sets of 16s rRNA with 53.0% and gatB with 52.0% were the most sensitive primers for detecting Wolbachia. Blast search, phylogenetic, and MLST analysis of the different locus sequences of Wolbachia show that all the six distantly related fly species likely belonging to supergroup A. Our study showed some primer sets generated false negatives in many of the samples, emphasizing the importance of using different loci in detecting Wolbachia. The study provides the groundwork for future studies of a Wolbachia-based program for control of flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghazal Khosravi
- Department of Vector Biology and Control of Diseases, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kamran Akbarzadeh
- Department of Vector Biology and Control of Diseases, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fateh Karimian
- Department of Parasitology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mona Koosha
- Department of Vector Biology and Control of Diseases, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shahin Saeedi
- Department of Vector Biology and Control of Diseases, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Oshaghi
- Department of Vector Biology and Control of Diseases, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Brett PTJ, Lawrence KE, Govindaraju K, Kenyon P, Gedye K, Tait AB, Schwass M, Pomroy WE. Using weather data to predict the presence of Lucilia spp. on sheep farms in New Zealand. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2024; 49:101005. [PMID: 38462306 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.101005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Flystrike remains an important animal health issue on New Zealand sheep farms. To date no useful predictive tool to assist farmers to develop control options has been available. The aim of this study was to use National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) virtual climate station data in New Zealand to develop a weather-based model to accurately predict the presence of Lucilia spp. on sheep farms throughout New Zealand. Three LuciTrap® baited fly traps were positioned on each of eight sheep farms throughout New Zealand (5 in the North Island and 3 in the South Island). The traps were put out for both the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons. They were emptied each week and the flies morphologically identified; with the counts of Lucilia cuprina and L. sericata combined as Lucilia spp. The count data for Lucilia spp. for each week of trapping was transformed into a binary outcome and a generalised linear mixed effects models fitted to the data, with farm as a random effect. The dependent variable was Lucilia spp. flies caught, yes or no, and the independent variables were mean weekly climate variables from the nearest NIWA virtual climate station to that farm. The model was trained on the 2018-2019 catch data and tested on the 2019-2020 catch data. A cut point was identified which maximised the model's ability to correctly predict whether Lucilia spp. were present or not for the 2019-2020 catch data, and the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC) of the model calculated. The final model included just 3 significant variables, mean weekly 10 cm soil temperature, mean weekly soil moisture index, and mean weekly wind speed at 10 m. Mean weekly 10 cm soil temperature accounted for 64.7% of the variance explained by the model, mean weekly soil moisture index 34.7% and mean weekly wind speed at 10 m only 0.6%. The results showed that the predictive model had a sensitivity of 0.93 (95% CI = 0.80-0.98) and a specificity of 0.75 (95% CI = 0.62-0.85), using a cut point for the probability of Lucilia spp. being present on farm = 0.383. This model provides New Zealand farmers with a tool which will allow them to know when Lucilia spp. flies will likely be present and thus more accurately plan their interventions to prevent flystrike.
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Affiliation(s)
- P T J Brett
- University College Dublin School of Biology and Environmental Science, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland; School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
| | - K E Lawrence
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | - K Govindaraju
- School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | - P Kenyon
- School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - K Gedye
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | - A B Tait
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Greta Point, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - M Schwass
- The New Zealand Merino Company Limited, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - W E Pomroy
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
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Khan Q, Kakar A, Kamran K. New faunistic data on Diptera (Hexapoda, Insecta) from the Ziarat Juniperus forest ecosystem (Pakistan). Biodivers Data J 2024; 12:e114414. [PMID: 38566888 PMCID: PMC10985402 DOI: 10.3897/bdj.12.e114414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background This study presents the first faunistic record and DNA barcoding for some Diptera species recorded from the Juniperus forest ecosystem of Balochistan, Pakistan. DNA barcoding was used to explore species diversity of Dipterans and collections carried out using a Malaise trap between December 2018 to December 2019. This process involved sequencing the 658 bp Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene. New information Amongst the collected Diptera specimens, nine families were identified, representing 13 genera. These species include Atherigonasoccata (Rondani, 1871), Atherigonavaria (Schiner, 1868), Chironomusdorsalis (Meigen, 1818), Eupeodescorollae (Linnaeus, 1758), Eristalistenax (Linnaeus,1758), Goniaornata (Meigen, 1826), Luciliasericata (Meigen, 1826), Paragusquadrifasciatus (Linnaeus, 1758), Polleniarudis (Fabricius, 1794), Raviniapernix (Thompson, 1869), Sarcophagadux (Thompson, 1869), Trupaneaamoena (Schiner, 1868) and Wohlfahrtiabella (Linnaeus, 1758). The families Syrphidae and Sarcophagidae exhibited the highest representation, each comprising three genera and three species. They were followed by the family Muscidae, which had a single genus and two species. Anthomyiidae, Chironomidae, Calliphoridae, Polleniidae, Tachinidae and Tephritidae were represented by only one genus and one species. A nique Barcode Index Number (BIN) was allotted to Tachinidae (specie i.e Goniaornata). The results indicated that barcoding through cytochrome oxidase I is an effective approach for the accurate identification and genetic studies of Diptera species. This discovery highlights the significant diversity of this insect order in study region. Furthermore, a comprehensive list of other Diptera species remains elusive because of difficulties in distinguishing them, based on morphology and a lack of professional entomological knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qaiser Khan
- Department of Zoology, University of Balochistan, Quetta, PakistanDepartment of Zoology, University of BalochistanQuettaPakistan
| | - Asmathullah Kakar
- Department of Zoology, University of Balochistan, Quetta, PakistanDepartment of Zoology, University of BalochistanQuettaPakistan
| | - Kashif Kamran
- Department of Zoology, University of Balochistan, Quetta, PakistanDepartment of Zoology, University of BalochistanQuettaPakistan
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Rakopoulou GD, Dadour IR. A preliminary study of carrion insects in Greece and their attraction to three animal baits: a forensic entomology perspective. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2024:10.1007/s12024-024-00796-6. [PMID: 38430404 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-024-00796-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
The current study provides data on the composition of the dipteran and coleopteran fauna attracted to three different animal baits (chicken stomach, beef liver, fish) in the urban ecosystem of Athens, Greece. An additional objective was to examine the effect of bait choice by the collected taxa. Three trap locations were established within the Agricultural University of Athens. At each location two different types of baited traps were used to capture and record the local dipteran and coleopteran biodiversity. During the sampling period, a total of 2416 dipteran and coleopteran specimens representing 43 species were collected and identified. The three most abundant dipteran taxa were Sarcophaga sp. (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy, Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). The results showed that the structure of the local insect community associated with the decomposition of animal baits depends on the bait used for sampling. This study reinforced the feasibility of using animal tissues as attractants to a wide diversity of medical, parasitological and forensically important taxa. Overall, beef liver attracted the most insects with Diptera preferring beef liver and Coleoptera preferring chicken stomach. Furthermore, this study revealed that baits of one animal tissue did not attract all species but in combination a much better understanding of this biodiversity was achieved. Finally, from a forensic entomology perspective this study highlights the lack of understanding of the value of entomological data related to case work in Greece.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ian Robert Dadour
- Source Certain, Research and Development, Wangara DC, Western Australia, 6947, Australia.
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Hornok S, Cini Bruno AM, Takács N, Keve G, Sándor AD, Kontschán J. An update on the occurrence of flies (Diptera: Muscidae, Calliphoridae) and sucking lice (Phthiraptera: Anoplura) of veterinary importance in Malta: First record of Lucilia cuprina and Linognathus africanus. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1143800. [PMID: 36998639 PMCID: PMC10043312 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1143800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
To obtain new data on the species diversity, host associations and spatiotemporal occurrence of flies and blood-sucking lice of veterinary importance in Malta, ectoparasites were collected at cattle, sheep and goat, pig farms, as well as dog shelters, and in two places in the absence of domestic animals. The species were identified morphologically, but voucher specimens were also analyzed with molecular-phylogenetic methods following DNA extraction. Altogether 3,095 flies (Diptera: Muscidae, Calliphoridae) were collected at farms and kennels near domestic animals, as well as 37 blowflies (Calliphoridae) in rural and urban areas without animals nearby. Regarding Muscidae, the great majority of flies (n = 3,084) were identified as the common housefly (Musca domestica). Eight flies represented the stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans). Three blowflies associated with dogs and small ruminants belonged to Lucilia cuprina. By contrast, all 37 blowflies collected without domestic animals nearby, were identified as Lucilia sericata. In addition, 22 sucking lice were collected from goats, and all belonged to Linognathus africanus. Molecular identification of 28 flies and four lice confirmed the above species. Considering the sex ratio of M. domestica among samples collected randomly at cattle farms, females predominated in the whole study period, but the abundance of males increased significantly toward the autumn. Stomoxys calcitrans was associated with cattle and dogs, whereas L. cuprina was found near small ruminants and dogs. To our knowledge, this is the first study including the molecular analysis of flies and lice of veterinary-medical importance from Malta. The most important finding of this study is the first evidence for the autochthonous occurrence of L. cuprina in Malta. The exclusive presence of L. cuprina at animal-keeping facilities in rural areas and association of L. sericata with urban areas void of livestock might reflect similar habitat preference of these species in Malta to what was reported in South Africa. Based on the sucking-louse burden in the examined goat herds, the situation in Malta was similar to northern Africa where the exclusive presence of L. africanus was reported, unlike toward the north in the Mediterranean Basin where populations of this species are mixed with Linognathus stenopsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sándor Hornok
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- ELKH-ÁTE Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
- *Correspondence: Sándor Hornok
| | - Andrea M. Cini Bruno
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Nóra Takács
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- ELKH-ÁTE Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gergő Keve
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- ELKH-ÁTE Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila D. Sándor
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- ELKH-ÁTE Climate Change: New Blood-Sucking Parasites and Vector-Borne Pathogens Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Jenő Kontschán
- Centre for Agricultural Research, Plant Protection Institute, ELKH, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Plant Sciences, Albert Kázmér Faculty of Mosonmagyaróvár, Széchenyi István University, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary
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Khalil A, Zidan MMM, Alajmi R, Ahmed AM. Impact of Envenomation With Snake Venoms on Rabbit Carcass Decomposition and Differential Adult Dipteran Succession Patterns. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 60:40-50. [PMID: 36354264 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjac173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The current study investigates the postmortem successional patterns of necrophagous dipteran insects and the rabbit carcass decomposition rate upon envenomation with snake venom. In total, 15 rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus L. (Lagomorpha, Leporidae), were divided into 3 groups (5 rabbits each; n = 5); the first and second groups were injected with lethal doses of venoms from the Egyptian cobra, Naja haje L. (Squamata, Elapidae), and the horned viper, Cerastes cerastes L. (Squamata, viperidae), respectively. The third group (control) was injected with 0.85% physiological saline and euthanized with CO2. The carcass decomposition stages: fresh, bloating, decay, and dry were recorded and monitored. Data revealed that envenomation shortened the decomposition process by 3 d, 20% shorter than the control. The overall succession pattern of fly species revealed a lower abundance during the fresh stage, which peaked during the decay stage, and declined to the minimum number in the dry stage at the end of the 15-d experimental duration. A total of 2,488 individual flies, belonging to 21 species of 10 families, were collected from all experimental carcasses. The Calliphoridae, Muscidae, and Sarcophagidae were the most abundant and diverse families, whereas the other seven families were rare and least abundant. Although C. cerastes venom was significantly less lethal than N. haje, it showed a faster carcass decomposition process and a higher impact on fly abundance. These data showed that envenomation impacts insect succession and carcass decomposition, which should be taken into account when using insects in forensic investigations since envenomation with snake venoms is one of the leading causes of death worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelwahab Khalil
- Entomology Division, Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62521, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud M M Zidan
- Zoology & Entomology Department, Faculty of Sciences, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Reem Alajmi
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashraf M Ahmed
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Fatima N, Yang D. An updated catalogue of true flies (Insecta: Diptera) from northern Pakistan. JOURNAL OF THREATENED TAXA 2022. [DOI: 10.11609/jott.7841.14.12.22232-22259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
We present the first comprehensive catalogue of true flies from the northernmost territories of Pakistan, including Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. In the current inventory, 64 genera and 153 species in 16 families are being documented. The total number of known species has been updated based on the availability of taxonomic literatures from Pakistan. In 2007, Insect Fauna of Azad Jammu & Kashmir was updated and it lists only 16 known species in order Diptera where as there is no such documented information so far available on the dipterous fauna of Gilgit-Baltistan. However, during the last few decades, relatively a few studies have been conducted on some major group of flies, i.e., Syrphidae, Sepsidae, Calliphoridae, and Tephritidae from Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Among these, Syrphidae represents 53 species which is the highest number of species recorded, followed by Sepsidae and Calliphoridae with 20 and 18 species, respectively. The present diversity does not reflect the true species account in the northern areas; the important biogeographic area that exhibits a very heterogeneous fauna, not only because of the high mountains with valleys (the Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges of the Western Himalayas) but also the junction points of the world’s two largest zoogeographical regions (the Oriental and Palaearctic). Some common families, i.e., Stratiomyidae, Asilidae, Bombyliidae, Muscidae, Conopidae, Pipinculidae, Tachinidae, and some other families which are common in high mountainous regions of northern Pakistan still need to be explored in the future studies. The complete locality data for each valid species are presented as the baseline for future studies from northern areas of Pakistan, i.e., Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
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Mitogenome-wise codon usage pattern from comparative analysis of the first mitogenome of Blepharipa sp. (Muga uzifly) with other Oestroid flies. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7028. [PMID: 35487927 PMCID: PMC9054809 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10547-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Uziflies (Family: Tachinidae) are dipteran endoparasites of sericigenous insects which cause major economic loss in the silk industry globally. Here, we are presenting the first full mitogenome of Blepharipa sp. (Acc: KY644698, 15,080 bp, A + T = 78.41%), a dipteran parasitoid of Muga silkworm (Antheraea assamensis) found in the Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya. This study has confirmed that Blepharipa sp. mitogenome gene content and arrangement is similar to other Tachinidae and Sarcophagidae flies of Oestroidea superfamily, typical of ancestral Diptera. Although, Calliphoridae and Oestridae flies have undergone tRNA translocation and insertion, forming unique intergenic spacers (IGS) and overlapping regions (OL) and a few of them (IGS, OL) have been conserved across Oestroidea flies. The Tachinidae mitogenomes exhibit more AT content and AT biased codons in their protein-coding genes (PCGs) than the Oestroidea counterpart. About 92.07% of all (3722) codons in PCGs of this new species have A/T in their 3rd codon position. The high proportion of AT and repeats in the control region (CR) affects sequence coverage, resulting in a short CR (Blepharipa sp.: 168 bp) and a smaller tachinid mitogenome. Our research unveils those genes with a high AT content had a reduced effective number of codons, leading to high codon usage bias. The neutrality test shows that natural selection has a stronger influence on codon usage bias than directed mutational pressure. This study also reveals that longer PCGs (e.g., nad5, cox1) have a higher codon usage bias than shorter PCGs (e.g., atp8, nad4l). The divergence rates increase nonlinearly as AT content at the 3rd codon position increases and higher rate of synonymous divergence than nonsynonymous divergence causes strong purifying selection. The phylogenetic analysis explains that Blepharipa sp. is well suited in the family of insectivorous tachinid maggots. It's possible that biased codon usage in the Tachinidae family reduces the effective number of codons, and purifying selection retains the core functions in their mitogenome, which could help with efficient metabolism in their endo-parasitic life style and survival strategy.
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Bosly HAEK. Development of Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) from the Jazan region of Southwest Saudi Arabia under different laboratory temperatures: applications in forensic entomology. EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1186/s41935-021-00245-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819) (blowflies), family Calliphoridae, is important in forensic entomology, where the minimum and maximum postmortem intervals (PMI) are estimated on the basis of the developmental stages of Diptera larvae that consume dead tissue. The present study was designed to estimate the effects of different ambient temperatures (20, 25, and 30 °C) under controlled laboratory conditions on the developmental stages of C. albiceps from the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia.
Results
The present study showed that the larval body weight and length were significantly increased when larvae were reared at 30 °C compared with corresponding values at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h at rearing temperatures of 20 °C and 25 °C; however, the weight and length were significantly decreased compared with corresponding values at 96 h at 20 °C and 25 °C. The pupation time was inversely related to the rearing temperature, occurring at 144, 124, and 120 h at rearing temperatures of 20 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C, respectively. The pupal weight and length were significantly increased in larvae reared at 30 °C compared with those reared at 20 °C and 25 °C. At 20 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C, larval durations of 5.00, 5.00, and 4.00 days were recorded, respectively. Pupae and adults showed gradual decreases in life stage durations, at 6.00, 5.30, and 4.80 days in pupae and 20.00, 18.70, and 16.90 days in adults, with increasing rearing temperatures. Average adult longevity at 30 °C (194.40 h) was significantly less than adult longevity at 20 °C (216.00 h) and 25 °C (204.60 h). The results showed an inverse relation between durations of developmental stages and rearing temperatures.
Conclusions
Insect laboratory colonization for the determination of biological characteristics of insects is economically viable for forensic entomology and as a technique for evaluating insect evidence.
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Wells JD, MacInnis AE, Dsouza MA, Abdin ZU, Mughawi SA, Khloofi MA, Sajwani M, Maidoor MA, Saeed A, Ahli H, Shamsi RA, Mheiri RA. Forensic entomology when the evidence is "no insect." Best carrion fly species for predicting maximum postmortem interval in the United Arab Emirates. Forensic Sci Int 2021; 328:110999. [PMID: 34571245 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The carrion insect species that most quickly deposit offspring on a corpse are, when available, likely to yield a more useful estimate of postmortem interval (PMI) compared to later arrivals. This is in part because the age of the oldest larva will be as close as possible to the PMI when doing a development analysis, and because the preappearance interval (PAI), the time the corpse was exposed before insect colonization, corresponds to the narrowest window of time since death for an insect-free corpse when doing a succession analysis. Given replicated training data a prediction of exposure time for a corpse can be in the form of a confidence set, and the maximum value of that set for an insect-free corpse is a probabilistic version of PAI. To discover the insect species likely to be useful in the early postmortem period in the United Arab Emirates we exposed 216 rat carcasses outdoors at two sites in Dubai over three-day periods during winter. Rats were sampled twice each day without replacement and kept in the lab to allow carrion insects to complete development to the adult stage. The fly species produced in this way were Sarcophaga dux, S. ruficornis, Wohlfahrtia nuba, W. indigens (Sarcophagidae), Chrysomya albiceps (Calliphoridae), and Musca domestica (Muscidae). To the best of our knowledge this is the first record of W. indigens larvae feeding on carrion. While adult C. albiceps and M. domestica were abundant on the carcasses, C. albiceps colonized too slowly to be useful for this type of succession analysis within this time frame, and M. domestica emerged from a single rat. The Sarcophagidae were rapid colonizers, and under these conditions the probability is>90% that a carcass would remain free of S. dux larvae not more than 57 h and free of W. nuba larvae for not more than 51 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D Wells
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
| | - Amber E MacInnis
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Maurell A Dsouza
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Zain Ul Abdin
- Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Sara Al Mughawi
- General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mohammad Al Khloofi
- General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mariam Sajwani
- General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Maryam Al Maidoor
- General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ashwaq Saeed
- General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Hamdan Ahli
- General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Rawdha Al Shamsi
- General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Reem Al Mheiri
- General Department of Forensic Science and Criminology, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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12
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Brett P, Lawrence K, Kenyon P, Gedye K, Pomroy W. A Field Evaluation of the LuciTrap and the Western Australian Trap with Three Different Baits Types for Monitoring Lucilia cuprina and Lucilia sericata in New Zealand. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12090829. [PMID: 34564269 PMCID: PMC8470412 DOI: 10.3390/insects12090829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary In New Zealand, flystrike is caused by two Dipteran species, Lucilia cuprina and Lucilia sericata. This study contrasts four flytrap treatments, the LuciTrap with its combination of three chemical lures (Lucilures) and the Western Australian Trap with three different bait types (LuciLure, Sheep liver with 30% sodium sulphide and squid) during mid-summer. The aim of the study is to assess the most effective trap and bait combination that New Zealand farmers may use on their farms to monitor L. cuprina and L. sericata. This study found that either the LuciTrap or the Western Australian Trap with sheep liver and 30% sodium sulphide were the most effective traps to catch L. cuprina and L. sericata. Abstract Flytraps can be used on farms to monitor the populations of primary strike flies (Lucilia cuprina and Lucilia sericata) and, hence, offer a view regarding the incidence of flystrike on sheep. This study aimed to contrast the specificity and effectiveness of the LuciTrap with its combination of three chemical lures (Lucilures) and the Western Australian Trap with three bait types (LuciLure, Sheep liver with 30% sodium sulphide and squid). A mean model and rate model were fitted to the data. The mean model showed no difference (p > 0.05) in the mean weekly catch for L. cuprina between the Western Australian Trap with LuciLures and the Western Australian Trap baited with sheep liver with 30% sodium sulphide (p < 0.05). Whereas, for L. sericata, no difference (p > 0.05) was found between the Western Australian Trap with LuciLures, the Western Australian Trap baited with sheep liver with 30% sodium sulphide and the LuciTrap. The rate model illustrated that the Western Australian Trap with sheep liver with 30% sodium sulphide and LuciTrap did not differ (p > 0.05) for L. cuprina and L. sericata. Combined, these results indicate that New Zealand farmers can use either the LuciTrap or the Western Australian Trap with sheep liver with 30% sodium sulphide to monitor these target species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Brett
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand; (K.L.); (K.G.); (W.P.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Kevin Lawrence
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand; (K.L.); (K.G.); (W.P.)
| | - Paul Kenyon
- School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand;
| | - Kristene Gedye
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand; (K.L.); (K.G.); (W.P.)
| | - William Pomroy
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand; (K.L.); (K.G.); (W.P.)
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13
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Keshavarzi D, Rassi Y, Oshaghi MA, Azizi K, Rafizadeh S, Alimohammadi A, Parkhideh SZ. Effects of ante-mortem use of methadone on insect succession patterns. EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1186/s41935-021-00231-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Evaluation of insect succession patterns is a scientific method to estimate the time elapsed since death. Several studies have shown that ante-mortem intake of opioids affect maggot growth rate. However, there are few published data that investigate the effect of ante-mortem opioid use on insect succession patterns.
Therefore, the main purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of methadone on the succession patterns of insects on rabbit carcasses during the spring and winter of 2019. In the present study, the H-null hypothesis represents the dissimilarity between the successional waves of species from testing and control carcasses (H0: P: 0).
Results
During this study, 15 and 13 insect species were collected from carcasses during the spring and winter, respectively. The most dominant species during the both seasons were Chrysomya albiceps and Calliphora vicina. These two species preferred to lay eggs on the control carcasses earlier than the treated carcasses. Lucilia cuprina was observed only from the remains of untreated carcasses, while Saprinus chalcites and Necrobia rufipes were recorded only from the remains of treated rabbits. Samples indicate that 11.8% of the insects were members of the Coleoptera. Permutation analyzes based on the Mantel test were 0.647 ± 0.16 (P = 0.009) and 0.693 ± 0.16 (P = 0.003) for the similarity of the species between treated and untreated carcasses in the spring and winter, respectively. Permutation analyzes for the two most dominant fly species (Ch. albiceps and C. vicina) between the treated and untreated carcasses in the spring and winter were 0.515 ± 0.15 (P = 0.05) and 0.491 ± 0.14 (P = 0.09), respectively.
Conclusion
The results revealed that the overall pattern of insect succession was similar between the treated and untreated rabbit carcasses. However, the patterns of succession of Chrysomya albiceps and Calliphora vicina differed slightly between treated and untreated carcasses, and this could have an effect on the PMI min estimate.
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14
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Matuszewski S. Post-Mortem Interval Estimation Based on Insect Evidence: Current Challenges. INSECTS 2021; 12:314. [PMID: 33915957 PMCID: PMC8066566 DOI: 10.3390/insects12040314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
During death investigations insects are used mostly to estimate the post-mortem interval (PMI). These estimates are only as good as they are close to the true PMI. Therefore, the major challenge for forensic entomology is to reduce the estimation inaccuracy. Here, I review literature in this field to identify research areas that may contribute to the increase in the accuracy of PMI estimation. I conclude that research on the development and succession of carrion insects, thermogenesis in aggregations of their larvae and error rates of the PMI estimation protocols should be prioritized. Challenges of educational and promotional nature are discussed as well, particularly in relation to the collection of insect evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szymon Matuszewski
- Laboratory of Criminalistics, Adam Mickiewicz University, Święty Marcin 90, 61-809 Poznań, Poland;
- Wielkopolska Centre for Advanced Technologies, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 10, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
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15
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Al-Qahtni A, Mashaly A, Haddadi R, Al-Khalifa M. Seasonal Impact of Heroin on Rabbit Carcass Decomposition and Insect Succession. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 58:567-575. [PMID: 33155648 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjaa237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates the succession of insects and the length of the decomposition of rabbit carcasses injected with heroin. In total, 24 rabbits (2-2.5 kg, Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus L.) were used in the study. Twelve carcasses were exposed to insect activity in winter (January and February) and 12 in summer (July and August) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Three replicate experiments were conducted in each season. For each experiment, three rabbits were injected with varying doses of heroin, and the fourth rabbit was used as a control, being injected only with saline solution. Insects belonging to the order Diptera, Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera were attracted to the carcasses. In both of the investigated seasons, heroin appeared to delay the decomposition process but did not have a significant impact on the number of insects. In general, the number of flies in both seasons was substantially higher than that of beetles and ants. During the summer, flies were more attracted to treated carcasses with a higher dose of heroin. Some flies such as Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) and Chrysomya albiceps Wiedemann (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and some beetles such as Pimelia boyeri Solier (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) were represented on the carcasses by different developmental instars (larvae, pupae, and adults). Overall, heroin has not potential effects on the insect succession patterns of insect, however, influences the decomposition of rabbit carcasses. These findings are important while using insects in medicolegal investigation, since heroin is one of the common poisons used as an addictive agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdullah Al-Qahtni
- Department of Zoology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashraf Mashaly
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Minia University, El Minia, Egypt
| | - Rania Haddadi
- Department of Zoology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Al-Khalifa
- Department of Zoology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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16
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Shabani Kordshouli R, Grzywacz A, Akbarzadeh K, Azam K, AliMohammadi A, Ghadi Pasha M, Ali Oshaghi M. Thermal requirements of immature stages of Chrysomya albiceps (Diptera: Calliphoridae) as a common forensically important fly. Sci Justice 2021; 61:227-234. [PMID: 33985671 DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2021.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Entomological material may be used to estimate the time since death occurred (postmortem interval, PMI) in forensically obscure cases. The method that is commonly used to calculate minimum post-mortem interval (mPMI, i.e., the least amount of time since one can be confident death occurred) is based on the relationship between insect development and ambient temerature. Isomegalen and isomorphen diagrams are among methods allowing to calculate the age of necorphagous insects, yet thermal summation models provide the most precise and acurate estimations. The digrams are prepared based on the length or the developmental stages of the larvae as a function of time and mean ambient temperature. A knowledge of thermal requirements, in particular lower temperature threshold (Dz) at which development of a species terminates, is of essential importance to calculate ADD (Accumulated Degree Days). In this study different temperature regimes were used to construct the isomorphen diagram, examinate changes in larval body length at different ambient temperatures and to estimate the thermal requirements for developemnt of Chrysomya albiceps, the most common dipteran species reported on human and animal cadavers in Iran. Six development events including hatching, 1st ecdysis, 2nd ecdysis, wandering, pupariation and eclosion were studied under eleven constant temperature regims (17-37 0C). The development rate of Ch. albiceps increased as temperature increased. The larval length peaked at the end of third stage and then decreased at wandering stage. The maximum larval length occurred at 72 h post oviposition at either 31, 33, or 35 °C. At 17 °C, larvae did not hatch from eggs and at 37 °C wandering larvae did not proceed to pupariation, and thus larval development were analysed at the nine left over temperatures. The development stages required at least (Dz ± SE) 13.04 ± 0.37, 14.29 ± 0.45, 15.69 ± 0.56, 15.18 ± 0.56, 14.94 ± 0.48, and 11.23 ± 0.41 °C to reach one of the successive developmentl events, respectively. The estimated thermal summation constant (k) for those the six events were 10.43 ± 0.27, 19.31 ± 0.32, 27.87 ± 1.3, 55.94 ± 1.82, 66.69 ± 3.5, and 143.52 ± 5.61 ADD accordingly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Razieh Shabani Kordshouli
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Andrzej Grzywacz
- Department of Ecology and Biogeography, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - Kamran Akbarzadeh
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kamal Azam
- Department of Medical Statitics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Masoud Ghadi Pasha
- Legal Medicine Research Center, Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Ali Oshaghi
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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17
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Al-Khalifa M, Mashaly A, Al-Qahtni A. Impacts of antemortem ingestion of alcoholic beverages on insect successional patterns. Saudi J Biol Sci 2021; 28:685-692. [PMID: 33424356 PMCID: PMC7783826 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.10.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Revised: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper studies the impacts of antemortem ingestion of alcoholic beverages by the domestic rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus L., on postmortem successional patterns of insects during winter and summer 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Insect samples were collected from the carcasses of rabbits fed alcoholic beverages as well as untreated rabbits for 15 days postmortem during two successional studies in each season. The results showed that, during both seasons, the decomposition process for the carcasses of rabbits fed alcoholic beverages antemortem was one to two days longer. The results also showed, however, that alcoholic beverages did not affect insect succession patterns in either season. In fact, the number of insects appeared to be influenced by the ambient temperature during the two seasons, with 4415 insects in the winter compared to 1033 insects in the summer. In total, 30 insect taxa were collected during the winter study from the carcasses of rabbits fed alcoholic beverages antemortem; while 26 of these same taxa were collected from the carcasses of the untreated rabbits. Among the treated rabbits, those fed 25 ml alcoholic beverages treated attracted the highest number of insect taxa (24 taxa). In the summer study, 21 insect taxa were collected in total, 19 from the carcasses of the alcohol-treated rabbits and 13 from untreated rabbits. Among the treated rabbits, those fed 50 ml alcoholic beverages attracted the highest number of insect taxa (14 taxa). These results contribute to the understanding of the factors affecting the use of insects in medical investigations, given that alcoholic beverages are a common addictive agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Al-Khalifa
- Department of Zoology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, P. O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashraf Mashaly
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Minia University, El Minia 61519, Egypt
| | - Abdullah Al-Qahtni
- Department of Zoology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, P. O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
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18
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Fuentes-López A, Rebelo MT, Romera E, López-López A, Galián J. Genetic diversity of Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in the Iberian Peninsula based on cox1, 16S and ITS2 sequences. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The study of Diptera at the scene of a crime can provide essential information for the interpretation of evidence. Phylogeographic reconstruction could help differentiate haplotypes of a dipteran species in a geographical area, clarifying, for example, the details of a possible relocation of a corpse. In addition, inferring the ancestral areas of distribution helps to understand the current status of the species and its biogeographic history. One of the most important species in forensic entomology is Calliphora vicina Rovineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera: Calliphoridae). The aim of this work is to increase our knowledge of this species in the Iberian Peninsula using 464 specimens from Spain and Portugal. These samples were identified using morphological keys and by molecular methods using fragments of the cox1, 16S and ITS2 genes. The phylogeographic history of these populations was inferred from haplotype networks and the reconstruction of ancestral areas of distribution. The molecular results corroborated the morphological identifications of the samples. Phylogeographic networks showed no geographical structure, as haplotypes are shared among almost all populations. reconstruct ancestral state in phylogenies analyses showed a high rate of movement among populations, possibly related to human activity. These results suggest that this species had a very rapid and recent spatial and demographic expansion throughout the Iberian Peninsula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Fuentes-López
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física (Área de Biología Animal), Universidad de Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum, Murcia, Spain
| | - María Teresa Rebelo
- Departamento de Biología Animal/Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Elena Romera
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física (Área de Biología Animal), Universidad de Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum, Murcia, Spain
| | - Alejandro López-López
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física (Área de Biología Animal), Universidad de Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum, Murcia, Spain
- Área de Zoología, Departamento de Agroquímica y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Elche, Spain
| | - José Galián
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física (Área de Biología Animal), Universidad de Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum, Murcia, Spain
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19
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Sanei-Dehkordi A, Soleimani-Ahmadi M, Cheshmposhan A, Akbarzadeh K. Biodiversity of Medically Important Calyptratae Flies (Diptera: Schizophora) in Hospitals in the Northern Coastline of the Persian Gulf, Iran. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 57:766-771. [PMID: 31788698 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Domestic filth flies play a significant role in the transmission of nosocomial infections and cause nosocomial myiasis in hospitals worldwide. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in five hospitals of the Hormozgan province, of southern Iran. Adult flies were collected by bottle fly traps. Specimens were pinned and morphologically identified using the relevant keys. Species biodiversity indices including Menhinick (M), Shannon-Wiener (H'), Pielou's Evenness (E), and Simpson's diversity (D) were calculated. Totally 2,298 individuals of 18 species of flies belonging to nine genera and four families were collected. Chrysomya megacephala was the most frequent species (37.3%), followed by Chrysoma albiceps (24.8%), Fannia canicularis (5.1%), Musca domestica (4.8%), Sarcophaga aegyptica (3.7%), and 15 other species (24.4%). Our results show a high diversity and abundance of domestic filth flies in the studied hospitals. Relatively similar data derived from various hospitals in this study can show the uniformity in sanitary conditions of hospitals. On the other hand, estimation of diversity indices alarmed for potential of dominant species in fly communities in hospital environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Sanei-Dehkordi
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, Faculty of Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Moussa Soleimani-Ahmadi
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, Faculty of Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Abdolrahim Cheshmposhan
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, Faculty of Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Kamran Akbarzadeh
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Ghods St, Enghelab St., Tehran, Iran
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20
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Mozaffari E, Saghafipour A, Arzamani K, Jesri N, Kababian M, Hashemi SA. Geographical Distribution, Biodiversity, and Species Richness of Medically Important Necrophagous Flies in Central Iran. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 57:377-381. [PMID: 31742607 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
There have been some investigations carried out about necrophagous flies and their biodiversity indices in Iran. In the present study, the species composition of flies, their richness, and biodiversity were investigated in central Iran. In a cross-sectional study, specimens were collected monthly in three different climate areas of Qom Province. Species diversity, species richness, and species evenness were calculated to estimate the species biodiversity of flies. In total, 7,291 flies were collected and identified using valid identification keys that classified flies into four families and 15 different species. The largest collection of flies was obtained in the mountainous areas comprising 36.2% of specimens. Moreover, five forensically important species of fly were collected in this region with the potential to cause human and animal myiasis: Calliphora vicina, Lucilia sericata, Musca domestica, Wohlfahrtia nuba, and Chrysomya albiceps. There were slight differences in species richness and diversity indices in the areas. In mountainous areas, the Shannon-Wiener index and richness were maximum (H' = 1.87, S = 13). The evenness based on the Shannon evenness index in the mountainous areas was 0.728 and 0.719 in desert areas, whereas it was the highest (0.764) in the semidesert areas. Moreover, high values of the Jaccard similarity index were observed in captured necrophagous fly species in all the areas. The necrophagous fly fauna and species diversity indices were high because of an increase in the evenness. In general, some well-known forensically important species of flies were collected that proved the potential of myiasis occurrence in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehssan Mozaffari
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abedin Saghafipour
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
| | - Kourosh Arzamani
- Vector-Borne Diseases Research Center, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
| | - Nahid Jesri
- Remote Sensing and GIS Centre, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Majid Kababian
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Ahmad Hashemi
- Vector-Borne Diseases Research Center, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
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21
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Fuentes-López A, Ruiz C, Galián J, Romera E. Molecular identification of forensically important fly species in Spain using COI barcodes. Sci Justice 2019; 60:293-302. [PMID: 32381246 DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2019.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Species identification with DNA barcodes has been proven to be effective on different organisms and, particularly, has become a routinely used and quite accurate tool in forensic entomology to study necrophagous Diptera species. In this study, we analysed 215 specimens belonging to 42 species of 17 genera, from 9 different Diptera families. Flies were collected in 39 Spanish localities of the Iberian Peninsula sampled across three years in the four seasons. Intraspecific variation ranged from 0 to 2.46% whereas interspecific variation fluctuated from 3.07 to 14.59%, measuring 651 pb of the cytochrome oxidase subunit one (COI) gene. Neighbour-Joining analysis was carried out to investigate the molecular identification capabilities of the barcoding region, recovering almost all species as distinct monophyletic groups. The species groupings were generally consistent with morphological and molecular identifications. This work, which is the first with this intensive and extensive sampling in this area, shows that the COI barcode is an appropriate marker for unambiguous identification of forensically important Diptera in Spain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Fuentes-López
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Campus Mare Nostrum, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
| | - Carlos Ruiz
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Campus Mare Nostrum, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain; Departamento de Biología Animal, Edafología y Geología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
| | - José Galián
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Campus Mare Nostrum, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
| | - Elena Romera
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Campus Mare Nostrum, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
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Zhang Y, Wang Y, Sun J, Hu G, Wang M, Amendt J, Wang J. Temperature-dependent development of the blow fly Chrysomya pinguis and its significance in estimating postmortem interval. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:190003. [PMID: 31598276 PMCID: PMC6774990 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Chrysomya pinguis (Walker) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is an endemic Asiatic blow fly species of forensic importance. Chrysomya pinguis is one of the first species to colonize a corpse, especially in high altitude areas during spring and autumn when the ambient temperature is lower. Despite its potential for forensic investigations to estimate the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin), little is known about the development of C. pinguis. In this study, C. pinguis was collected from the Yangtze River Delta region of China and reared at seven constant temperatures between 16°C and 34°C to investigate the effect of temperature on development duration, accumulated degree hours and larval body length of C. pinguis. Isomorphen and isomegalen diagrams for C. pinguis were generated using the results, and equations describing the variation in larval body length during development and the temperature-induced variation in development time were also obtained. Chrysomya pinguis can complete its life cycle at 16-34°C. The mean (±s.d.) developmental durations of C. pinguis from egg to adult at 16°C, 19°C, 22°C, 25°C, 28°C, 31°C and 34°C were 811.0 ± 3.8, 544.8 ± 2.0, 379.8 ± 1.8, 306.7 ± 2.4, 250.0 ± 2.8, 203.2 ± 2.1 and 185.3 ± 1.6 h, respectively. The mean (±s.e.) developmental threshold temperature D0 and the thermal summation constant K of the whole developmental process of C. pinguis were estimated as 10.88 ± 0.21°C and 4256.50 ± 104.50 degree hours, respectively. This study provides fundamental development data for the use of C. pinguis to estimate PMImin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingna Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, People's Republic of China
- Department of Anatomy, Shihezi University, Beisi Road, Shihezi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Sun
- Criminal Police Branch, Wuxi Public Security Bureau, Qianhu Road, Wuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Guoliang Hu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, People's Republic of China
| | - Man Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jens Amendt
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Frankfurt, Kennedyallee, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Jiangfeng Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, People's Republic of China
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Keshavarzi D, Zaimy MA, Ahmed Yusuf M, Shahriarinamadi M, Parkhideh S. Insect succession on carrion in Fars Province, southwestern Iran. EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES 2019. [DOI: 10.1186/s41935-019-0124-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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24
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Wing measurement can be used to identify European blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of forensic importance. Forensic Sci Int 2019; 296:1-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 12/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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25
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Alikhan M, Al Ghamdi K, Mahyoub JA, Alanazi N. Public health and veterinary important flies (order: Diptera) prevalent in Jeddah Saudi Arabia with their dominant characteristics and identification key. Saudi J Biol Sci 2018; 25:1648-1663. [PMID: 30591782 PMCID: PMC6303147 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2016.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Revised: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Order Diptera of class insecta is of immense importance for the public and animal health and hygiene. Many dipteran flies are potential vectors of dreadful diseases. Therefore, it is required to have a simple characterization method and identification key for the field workers and entomologists. The present study fulfill the need and focus on the identification to generate a base line data with the help of original photographs. Nine families with 16 species of dipteran flies (other than mosquitoes) from Jeddah region of Saudi Arabia are included in this work. Major families which are more prevalent and common in this region are Muscidae, Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae and Phoridae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masroor Alikhan
- Public Health Pests Laboratory, Al Amana, Bariman, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid Al Ghamdi
- Dept. of Biological Sciences, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jazem A Mahyoub
- Dept. of Biological Sciences, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Naima Alanazi
- Dept. of Biological Sciences, Hail University, Hail, Saudi Arabia
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26
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Salimi M, Chatrabgoun O, Akbarzadeh K, Oshaghi M, Falahati MH, Rafizadeh S, Yusuf MA, Rassi Y. Evaluation of Insect Succession Patterns and Carcass Weight Loss for the Estimation of Postmortem Interval. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 55:1410-1422. [PMID: 29982750 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjy095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This study assesses the succession of insects on rabbit carcass. The study was conducted in sunny and shaded sites in the west of Iran during four seasons in 2016 and 2017. Based on the results of this study, various factors such as body size, carcass location, and carcass injury could affect the pattern of insect succession on carcass. In this study, we estimated the elapsed time since death (R2 > 0.98, P = 0.00) based on carcass weight loss during the stages of decomposition and the cubic method. Jaccard analysis was performed to determine the similarity of insect taxa during decomposition of rabbit carrion in two different sites during a period of four seasons. Succession pattern analysis for necrophagous insects in both habitats showed a similarity between bloat and decay stages for each habitat. On the other hand, pairwise similarities in taxa were low at the fresh and dry stages, however increased at bloat and decay stages of decomposition. This study shows that succession has some limitations in determining the elapsed time of death. Therefore, the use of source of information such as a weight loss model seems to be essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mojtaba Salimi
- Department of Medical Entomology & Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences(TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Omid Chatrabgoun
- Department of Statistics, Faculty of Mathematical Sciences and Statistics, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran
| | - Kamran Akbarzadeh
- Department of Medical Entomology & Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences(TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammadali Oshaghi
- Department of Medical Entomology & Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences(TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Sayena Rafizadeh
- Ministry of Health, National Institute for Medical Research Development (NIMAD), Tehran, Iran
| | - Mustapha A Yusuf
- Department of Medical Entomology & Vector Control, School of Public Health, International Campus, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Yavar Rassi
- Department of Medical Entomology & Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences(TUMS), Tehran, Iran
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27
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Shayya S, Debruyne R, Nel A, Azar D. Forensically Relevant Blow Flies in Lebanon Survey and Identification Using Molecular Markers (Diptera: Calliphoridae). JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 55:1113-1123. [PMID: 29762744 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjy068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Calliphoridae are among the first insects associated to decomposing animal remains. We have collected 1,841 specimens of three calliphorid genera: Calliphora, Lucilia, and Chrysomya, from different Lebanese localities as a first step in implementing a database of insects of forensic relevance for the country. Blow-flies are crucial for the estimation of the postmortem interval. DNA-based identification is a rapid and accurate method, often used for morphologically similar species, especially for immatures or incomplete specimens. In this study, we test the suitability of three genetic markers to identify adults and immature stages of calliphorids, viz., mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcode, a region including partial sequences of mitochondrial Cyt-b-tRNAser-ND1, and second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Forty Lebanese specimens of various developmental stages (egg, larva, wandering third instar, pupa, newly emerged adult, and mature adult) were identified among the three calliphorid genera: Calliphora, Lucilia, and Chrysomya, and compared with published sequences to confirm their specific assignation. Phylogenetic analyses showed the robustness of ITS2 and COI to identify calliphorids at species level. Nevertheless, ITS2 failed to discriminate Lucilia caesar (Linnaeus) (Diptera, Calliphoridae) from Lucilia illustris (Meigen) (Diptera, Calliphoridae), and COI had a similar issue with Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Diptera, Calliphoridae) and Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) (Diptera, Calliphoridae). Thus, these two markers are complementary. This work contributes new nucleotide sequences for Lebanon. It is a first step in implementing a molecular database of forensic relevant insects for the country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salman Shayya
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB - UMR 7205 - CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, CP, Entomologie, Paris, France
- Doctoral School of Science and Technology, Rafic Hariri University Campus, Hadath, Lebanon
- Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, National Council of Scientific Research - Lebanon (CNRS-L)
- Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Sciences II, Lebanese University, Fanar - Matn, Lebanon
| | - Régis Debruyne
- Service de Systématique Moléculaire, UMS 2700 - CNRS, MNHN, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, CP, Paris, France
| | - André Nel
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB - UMR 7205 - CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, CP, Entomologie, Paris, France
| | - Dany Azar
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Sciences II, Lebanese University, Fanar - Matn, Lebanon
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28
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Akbarzadeh K, Saghafipour A, Jesri N, Karami-Jooshin M, Arzamani K, Hazratian T, Kordshouli RS, Afshar AA. Spatial Distribution of Necrophagous Flies of Infraorder Muscomorpha in Iran Using Geographical Information System. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 55:1071-1085. [PMID: 29982597 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjy098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Medically important flies that majority of them are classified to synanthropic flies can be mechanical vectors for some of contagious diseases to human and many animals. Also some species of their larvae are cause of myiasis in human and livestock animals. The aim of this study was to determine the geographical distribution of medically important flies in Iran using Geographical Information System (GIS). All published English and Persian documents on medically important flies of Iran from reliable medical sciences resources were gathered. A database was then designed in Excel format, including all available information regarding flies. The valid data were transferred to ArcGIS 10.3 to prepare the first spatial database of medically important flies and human myiasis foci of Iran. The Iran Medical Important Flies base includes 71 papers and three PhD/MSc theses, reporting studies conducted during 1977-2017. This database contains different available data covering their faunistic and all myiasis data reports related to flies of 102 species in nine families of medical important flies in Iran. Twenty-three out of the 31 provinces of Iran, had some reports of medically important flies. However, these flies have high species diversity, wide geographical distribution and with various ecological niches in different provinces in Iran. Besides that, there are many high-risk foci of human myiasis in a number of provinces of Iran.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamran Akbarzadeh
- Department of Medical Entomology & Vector control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abedin Saghafipour
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
| | - Nahid Jesri
- Research Center for Environmental Pollutants, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
| | | | - Koroush Arzamani
- Department of Medical Entomology & Vector control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Teymour Hazratian
- Departments of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Razieh Shabani Kordshouli
- Department of Medical Entomology & Vector control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Aghaei Afshar
- Department of Medical Entomology, Faculty of Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
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29
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Chimeno C, Morinière J, Podhorna J, Hardulak L, Hausmann A, Reckel F, Grunwald JE, Penning R, Haszprunar G. DNA Barcoding in Forensic Entomology - Establishing a DNA Reference Library of Potentially Forensic Relevant Arthropod Species. J Forensic Sci 2018; 64:593-601. [PMID: 29995972 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Throughout the years, DNA barcoding has gained in importance in forensic entomology as it leads to fast and reliable species determination. High-quality results, however, can only be achieved with a comprehensive DNA barcode reference database at hand. In collaboration with the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office, we have initiated at the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology the establishment of a reference library containing arthropods of potential forensic relevance to be used for DNA barcoding applications. CO1-5P' DNA barcode sequences of hundreds of arthropods were obtained via DNA extraction, PCR and Sanger Sequencing, leading to the establishment of a database containing 502 high-quality sequences which provide coverage for 88 arthropod species. Furthermore, we demonstrate an application example of this library using it as a backbone to a high throughput sequencing analysis of arthropod bulk samples collected from human corpses, which enabled the identification of 31 different arthropod Barcode Index Numbers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Chimeno
- Zoologische Staatssammlung München (SNSB-ZSM), Münchhausenstrasse 21, 81247, München, Germany
| | - Jérôme Morinière
- Zoologische Staatssammlung München (SNSB-ZSM), Münchhausenstrasse 21, 81247, München, Germany
| | - Jana Podhorna
- Mendel University in Brno (MEDELU), Zemedelska 1, Brno, 613 00, Czech Republic
| | - Laura Hardulak
- Zoologische Staatssammlung München (SNSB-ZSM), Münchhausenstrasse 21, 81247, München, Germany
| | - Axel Hausmann
- Zoologische Staatssammlung München (SNSB-ZSM), Münchhausenstrasse 21, 81247, München, Germany
| | - Frank Reckel
- Abteilung II, Bayerisches Landeskriminalamt, Maillingerstraße 15, 80636, München, Germany
| | - Jan E Grunwald
- Abteilung II, Bayerisches Landeskriminalamt, Maillingerstraße 15, 80636, München, Germany
| | - Randolph Penning
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, München, Germany
| | - Gerhard Haszprunar
- Zoologische Staatssammlung München (SNSB-ZSM), Münchhausenstrasse 21, 81247, München, Germany
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30
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Lutz L, Williams KA, Villet MH, Ekanem M, Szpila K. Species identification of adult African blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of forensic importance. Int J Legal Med 2018; 132:831-842. [PMID: 28849264 PMCID: PMC5919996 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-017-1654-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Necrophagous blowflies can provide an excellent source of evidence for forensic entomologists and are also relevant to problems in public health, medicine, and animal health. However, access to useful information about these blowflies is constrained by the need to correctly identify the flies, and the poor availability of reliable, accessible identification tools is a serious obstacle to the development of forensic entomology in the majority of African countries. In response to this need, a high-quality key to the adults of all species of forensically relevant blowflies of Africa has been prepared, drawing on high-quality entomological materials and modern focus-stacking photomicroscopy. This new key can be easily applied by investigators inexperienced in the taxonomy of blowflies and is made available through a highly accessible online platform. Problematic diagnostic characters used in previous keys are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Lutz
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Kennedyallee 104, D-60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Kirstin A. Williams
- Entomology Department, Durban Natural Science Museum, Durban, South Africa
- Southern African Forensic Entomology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Martin H. Villet
- Southern African Forensic Entomology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Mfon Ekanem
- Department of Zoology, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Krzysztof Szpila
- Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska 1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
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31
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Estimation of postmortem interval (PMI) based on empty puparia of Phormia regina (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and third larval stage of Necrodes littoralis (L.) (Coleoptera: Silphidae) – Advantages of using different PMI indicators. J Forensic Leg Med 2018; 55:95-98. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2018.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Revised: 02/03/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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32
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Badenhorst R, Villet MH. The uses of Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in forensic entomology. Forensic Sci Res 2018; 3:2-15. [PMID: 30483647 PMCID: PMC6197084 DOI: 10.1080/20961790.2018.1426136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) occurs on every continent and is closely associated with carrion and decaying material in human environments. Its abilities to find dead bodies and carry pathogens give it a prominence in human affairs that may involve prosecution or litigation, and therefore forensic entomologists. The identification, geographical distribution and biology of the species are reviewed to provide a background for approaches that four branches of forensic entomology (urban, stored-product, medico-criminal and environmental) might take to investigations involving this fly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rozane Badenhorst
- Southern African Forensic Entomology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Martin H. Villet
- Southern African Forensic Entomology Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
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33
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Moemenbellah-Fard MD, Keshavarzi D, Fereidooni M, Soltani A. First survey of forensically important insects from human corpses in Shiraz, Iran. J Forensic Leg Med 2018; 54:62-68. [PMID: 29324320 DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2017.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2017] [Revised: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The presence of insects on human cadavers has potential judicial value in medicolegal cases. This research emphasized the important role of insects in postmortem decomposition. It was conducted to investigate the composition and abundance of insects from human corpses during autopsies in legal medicine. It was implemented in the city of Shiraz, south Iran. Insects associated with human corpses were carefully collected and put into labelled vials. They were then identified using valid taxonomic keys. Fifteen outdoor (67%) and indoor discovered cadavers were examined. All but one was covered at the time of discovery. From these several species of entomofauna played important roles in the minimum postmortem interval (minPMI) estimate. Insects included the orders of Diptera and Coleoptera. Overall, 14 different species of arthropods were identified. Within Diptera, 2 families of Sarcophagidae and Calliphoridae were present in 73% of the cases with Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy and Chrysomya albiceps Wiedemann accounting for about half of the cases. The latter family members, Calliphoridae, were more frequently (52%) collected in autumn and winter. Only 4/15 outdoor cadavers had beetles. Four species of Coleopterans; namely Dermestes frischii Kugelann, Nitidula flavomaculata Rossi, Creophilus maxillosus Linnaeus and Saprinus chalcites Illiger; were recorded for the first time from 3 corpses in Iran. The presence and diversity of different insects on human corpses could contribute to the advancement of forensic entomology knowledge and the refined estimates of minPMI in medicolegal cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad D Moemenbellah-Fard
- Research Centre for Health Sciences, Institute of Health, Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Davood Keshavarzi
- Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mehran Fereidooni
- Department of Forensic Taphonomy, Shiraz Institute of Legal Medicine, Modarres Bvd., 71546-75891, Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Aboozar Soltani
- Research Centre for Health Sciences, Institute of Health, Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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34
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Picard CJ, Wells JD, Ullyot A, Rognes K. Amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis supports the valid separate species status of Lucilia caesar and L. illustris (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Forensic Sci Res 2017; 3:60-64. [PMID: 30483652 PMCID: PMC6197086 DOI: 10.1080/20961790.2017.1398286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Common DNA-based species determination methods fail to distinguish some blow flies in the forensically and medically important genus Lucilia Robineau-Desvoidy. This is a practical problem, and it has also been interpreted as casting doubt on the validity of some morphologically defined species. An example is Lucilia illustris and L. caesar, which co-occur in Europe whilst only L. illustris has been collected in North America. Reports that these species shared both mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences, along with claims that diagnostic morphological characters are difficult to interpret, were used to question their separate species status. We report here that amplified fragment length polymorphism profiles strongly support the validity of both species based on both assignment and phylogenetic analysis, and that traditional identification criteria based on male and female genital morphology are more reliable than has been claimed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine J Picard
- Department of Biology & Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Wells
- Department of Biological Sciences & International Forensic Research Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Anne Ullyot
- Department of Biology & Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA.,Biological Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Knut Rognes
- Department of Early Childhood Education, Faculty of Arts and Education, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
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35
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Lindeberg YL, Egedal K, Hossain ZZ, Phelps M, Tulsiani S, Farhana I, Begum A, Jensen PKM. CanEscherichia colifly? The role of flies as transmitters ofE. colito food in an urban slum in Bangladesh. Trop Med Int Health 2017; 23:2-9. [DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yrja Lisa Lindeberg
- Department of Public Health; Global Health Section; Copenhagen University; København Denmark
| | - Karen Egedal
- Department of Public Health; Global Health Section; Copenhagen University; København Denmark
| | - Zenat Zebin Hossain
- Department of Public Health; Global Health Section; Copenhagen University; København Denmark
| | - Matthew Phelps
- Department of Public Health; Global Health Section; Copenhagen University; København Denmark
| | - Suhella Tulsiani
- Department of Public Health; Global Health Section; Copenhagen University; København Denmark
| | - Israt Farhana
- Department of Microbiology; University of Dhaka; Dhaka Bangladesh
| | - Anowara Begum
- Department of Microbiology; University of Dhaka; Dhaka Bangladesh
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Insect Fauna of Human Cadavers in Tehran District. J Arthropod Borne Dis 2017; 11:363-370. [PMID: 29322053 PMCID: PMC5758632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2015] [Accepted: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Entomological data can provide valuable information for crime scene investigations especially in post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation. This study performed to determine insect fauna of human corpses in Tehran district. METHODS Insect specimens were collected from 12 human cadavers during spring and summer 2014 and were identified using morphological characteristics. RESULTS Four fly species including two blowflies Chrysomya albiceps and Lucilia sericata (Calliphoridae), one flesh fly Sarcophaga argyrostoma (Sarcophagidae), and one phorid fly Megaselia scalaris (Phoridae) and a beetle Dermestes maculatus (Dermestidae) was observed on the human cadavers. Chrysomya albiceps was the most dominant species on the corpses temporally and spatially. CONCLUSION Chrysomya albiceps was the most dominant insect species on human cadavers in the area study spatio-temporally. The data make C. albiceps as a valuable entomological indicator for PMI estimation in Tehran and other parts of the country. However, further biological and ecological data such as its behavior, life tables, and consistent developmental time should be investigated when establishing a PMI in the region.
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Grzywacz A, Wyborska D, Piwczyński M. DNA barcoding allows identification of European Fanniidae (Diptera) of forensic interest. Forensic Sci Int 2017; 278:106-114. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2017] [Revised: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Meng F, Ren L, Wang Z, Deng J, Guo Y, Chen C, Finkelbergs D, Cai J. Identification of Forensically Important Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in China Based on COI. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2017; 54:1193-1200. [PMID: 28535279 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjx105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Blow flies are among the most important insects in forensic entomology casework. Identification of blow fly species can be a time consuming and difficult task, especially at their early development stages. Present DNA-based technologies provide a promising identification method for these forensically important calliphorids. The cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequence has been applied as a suitable DNA marker in calliphorid identification for many years; however, limitation exists in using short sequence to determine genetically close species. In this study, COI long sequences were utilized in species-level identification. Seventy-two specimens were collected from 27 locations across 22 Chinese provinces, and unambiguously determined as 16 species under seven genera of Calliphoridae. Analysis of long mitochondrial COI sequence (1,021-1,382 bp) data from forensically relevant blow flies collected in the inland region of China provided a reliable marker for accurate identification. Our data provide genetic diversity and reference for global forensic-related blow fly species identification, and conductive meaning on future utilization of Chinese calliphorids used in forensic entomological practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanming Meng
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China
| | - Lipin Ren
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Ziyue Wang
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, 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 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Chao Chen
- Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Dmitrijs Finkelbergs
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Jifeng Cai
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
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Grzywacz A, Ogiela J, Tofilski A. Identification of Muscidae (Diptera) of medico-legal importance by means of wing measurements. Parasitol Res 2017; 116:1495-1504. [PMID: 28303414 PMCID: PMC5399051 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-017-5426-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cadavers attract numerous species and genera of Muscidae, both regular elements of carrion insect assemblages, and accidental visitors. Identification of adult Muscidae may be considered difficult, particularly by non-experts. Since species identification is a vital first step in the analysis of entomological material in any forensic entomology orientated experiment and real cases, various alternative methods of species identification have been proposed. We investigated possibility of semiautomated identification by means of wing measurements as an alternative for classic morphology and DNA-based approaches. We examined genus-level identification success for 790 specimens representing 13 genera of the most common European cadavers visiting Muscidae. We found 99.8% of examined specimens correctly identified to the genus-level. Without error, the following were identified: Azelia, Eudasyphora, Graphomya, Hydrotaea, Musca, Muscina, Mydaea, Neomyia, Polietes, Stomoxys and Thricops. Genus-level misidentifications were found only in Helina and Phaonia. Discrimination of examined material on the species level within Hydrotaea (318 specimens representing eight species) and Muscina (163 specimens representing four species) showed lower, yet still high average identification success, 97.2 and 98.8%, respectively. Our results revealed relatively high success in both genus and species identification of Muscidae of medico-legal importance. Semiautomated identification by means of wing measurements can be used by non-experts and does not require sophisticated equipment. This method will facilitate the identification of forensically relevant muscids in comparison to more difficult and more time-consuming identification approaches based on taxonomic keys or DNA-based methods. However, for unambiguous identification of some taxa, we recommend complementary use of identification keys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrzej Grzywacz
- Chair of Ecology and Biogeography, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska 1, 87-100, Toruń, Poland.
| | - Jakub Ogiela
- Department of Pomology and Apiculture, Agricultural University, 29 Listopada 54, 31-425, Kraków, Poland
| | - Adam Tofilski
- Department of Pomology and Apiculture, Agricultural University, 29 Listopada 54, 31-425, Kraków, Poland
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Elleboudy NA, Ezz Eldin HM, Azab SM. Focus stacking technique in identification of forensically important Chrysomya species (Diptera: Calliphoridae). EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejfs.2016.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
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