-Forensic entomology uses biological and ecological aspects of necrophagous insects to help in criminal investigations to estimate the post-mortem interval (PMI) or to determine the cause of death. Recent papers demonstrated that the presence of toxins in decomposing tissues may alter the insect developmental rate of insects exploiting such tissues as food. Thus, preliminary tests with artifi cial diets in laboratory are necessary to create a database to investigate and quantify the modifi cations that can occur with the collected insects from a criminal scene, avoiding any errors on the PMI estimates. The present study aimed to evaluate the developmental rate of Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann) reared on: a) artifi cial diets containing animal tissues: bovine liver (D1), raw muscle (D2), stomach (D3), and chicken heart (D4); b) artifi cial diet without animal tissue (D5); and c) a control group (C), which had only meat. The effi ciency of each substrate was assessed by immature weight gain (mg), larval developmental time, larval and pupal survival, emergence interval and adult size. D1 to D4 diets did not restrict C. albiceps development; however, larvae reared on D1 and D2 diets presented a lower adult emergence rate. D3 and control group showed similarities regarding the effi ciency parameters (rate and emergence interval). Thus, the use of diet D3, artifi cial diet with stomach, is the most recommended.KEY WORDS: Nutritional source, immature rearing, blowfl y, forensic entomology RESUMO -A entomologia forense utiliza dados biológicos e ecológicos de insetos necrófagos com o objetivo de auxiliar as investigações criminais, na estimativa do intervalo pós-morte (IPM) ou na descoberta da causa da morte. Trabalhos recentes têm demonstrado que a presença de toxinas nos tecidos em decomposição pode alterar a taxa de desenvolvimento de insetos que usam esse recurso. Assim, testes preliminares usando dietas artifi ciais em laboratório são necessários para a criação de um banco de dados como padrão para investigar e quantifi car as possíveis modifi cações em insetos coletados da cena criminal, para não gerar dados imprecisos sobre o IPM. No presente estudo objetivou-se avaliar a taxa de desenvolvimento de imaturos de Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann) criados em diferentes substratos: a) dietas artifi ciais contendo tecido de origem animal: fígado (D1), músculo moído (D2) e rúmen (D3) bovinos, além de coração de frango (D4); b) dieta sem tecido animal (D5) e; c) um grupo controle (C), somente em carne bovina. A efi ciência de cada substrato foi observada pelo ganho de massa dos imaturos, tempo de desenvolvimento larval, sobrevivência larval e pupal, intervalo de emergência e tamanho dos adultos. As dietas D1 a D4 não restringiram o desenvolvimento larval de C. albiceps, no entanto, D1 e D2 apresentaram baixa emergência de adultos. D3 e o grupo controle foram muito similares em relação a alguns fatores de efi ciência (taxa e intervalo de emergência). Assim, o uso da dieta D3, dieta artifi cal mais rúmen de bovinos é...

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Species identification is an essential step in the progress and completion of work in several areas of biological knowledge, but it is not a simple process. Due to the close phylogenetic relationship of certain species, morphological characters are not always sufficiently distinguishable. As a result, it is necessary to combine several methods of analysis that contribute to a distinct categorization of taxa. This study aimed to raise diagnostic characters, both morphological and molecular, for the correct identification of species of the genus Chrysomya (Diptera: Calliphoridae) recorded in the New World, which has continuously generated discussion about its taxonomic position over the last century. A clear example of this situation was the first record of Chrysomya rufifacies in Brazilian territory in 2012. However, the morphological polymorphism and genetic variability of Chrysomya albiceps studied here show that both species (C. rufifacies and C. albiceps) share very similar character states, leading to misidentification and subsequent registration error of species present in our territory. This conclusion is demonstrated by the authors, based on a review of the material deposited in major scientific collections in Brazil and subsequent molecular and phylogenetic analysis of these samples. Additionally, we have proposed a new taxonomic key to separate the species of Chrysomya found on the American continent, taking into account a larger number of characters beyond those available in current literature.

Pitfall traps are commonly used for the collection of terrestrial insects in ecology and biology studies; they are relatively straightforward to manufacture and there is a large variety of models described in the literature. However, they present a few drawbacks: (i) the removal and transport of the collected material are not practical; (ii) they have low resistance and durability; (iii) they fail to correctly protect the attractive bait against adverse weather conditions and scavengers, and (iv) evaporation of the liquid used inside the trap. We proposed an optimized pitfall trap design for terrestrial insect collection made from cheap and easily accessible materials. The new design allows the transfer of the collected material to the lab by removing only that part of the trap where the insects have been captured; the other part remains in its original place. Thus, the proposed trap allows easier operation since there is no need to transport water to replenish the traps after each transfer; in addition, there is less volume and weight to be carried. The trap can remain in the field for months because of the durability of its material. Furthermore, the collected material is better protected against adverse weather conditions and scavengers. Currently, an efficient and rapid sampling strategy in the field is of global interest to understand mechanisms that can contribute to the monitor changes in phenology, succession, and biodiversity.

Keywords 1. INTRODUÇÃO andamento ou conclusão de um processo investigativo Atualmente, um ramo mais recente da decomposição e com suspeita de envenenamento, dada