The Application of COI Gene for Species Identification of Forensically Important Muscid Flies (Diptera: Muscidae)

Review of Synthesiomyia nudiseta (Diptera: Muscidae) as a useful tool in forensic entomology

Synthesiomyia nudiseta (van der Wulp, 1883) is a synanthropic muscid found in tropical and subtropical zones around the world. The larvae of this species are a secondary agent of myiasis with necrophagous habits and play an important role in forensic entomology, as they are used as an indicator of post-mortem interval. Adults can be considered vectors of etiological agents such as Escherichia coli and Shigella dysenteriae. Due to its ability to adapt to different environmental conditions, its high dispersal capacity (shown by its introduction to Europe), its predatory habits in the last larval stage and the difficulty of identifying it, a very important goal is to update our knowledge about this species. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to review the identification, geographical distribution and biology of this species in order to provide better support to investigations involving this fly.

Forensic Entomology in China and Its Challenges

Simple Summary

Forensic entomologists utilize sarcosaprophagous insect species to estimate the postmortem interval to aid death investigations. In this paper, we present the recent chronology of forensic entomology in China and illustrate how identification, development, and succession data are obtained and applied at the scale of such a large country. To overcome the difficulties and challenges forensic entomology faces in China, a number of countermeasures are provided.

Abstract

While the earliest record of forensic entomology originated in China, related research did not start in China until the 1990s. In this paper, we review the recent research progress on the species identification, temperature-dependent development, faunal succession, and entomological toxicology of sarcosaprophagous insects as well as common applications of forensic entomology in China. Furthermore, the difficulties and challenges forensic entomologists face in China are analyzed and possible countermeasures are presented.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Muscina pascuorum (Diptera: Muscidae)

Muscina pascuorum (Diptera: Muscidae) represents an important hygiene pest. The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of M. pascuorum was first sequenced and annotated in this study. The full length of mitogenome was 14, 940 bp, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA), and one AT-rich region. The nucleotide content of these flies was 40.0% A, 13.2% C, 9.1% G, and 37.6% T. This study illustrates that the arrangement of the genes was identical to classical metazoans. Besides, the phylogenetic analyses indicated that the branch of M. pascuorum was clustered separately from the common three Muscina spp in the tree. This genome provides an essential reference for understanding the phylogenetic relationships of Muscidae.