Sex-Biased Captures of Sarcosaprophagous Diptera in Carrion-Baited Traps

Martín‐Vega, Daniel; Baz, Arturo

doi:10.1673/031.013.1401

Cited by 33 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(56 reference statements)

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“…Additionally, most results are seriously biased due to taxonomic difficulties with female specimens identification. The female-biased sex ratio of carrion fly assemblages was reported in Calliphoridae, Muscidae, and Sarcophagidae (Martin-Vega and Baz 2013 ). Consequently, lack of species identification of female specimens may result in misconception on the importance of Sarcophagidae in carrion insect communities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) colonising large carcasses in Central Europe

et al. 2015

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Sarcophagidae are an important element of carrion insect community. Unfortunately, results on larval and adult Sarcophagidae from forensic carrion studies are virtually absent mostly due to the taxonomic problems with species identification of females and larvae. The impact of this taxon on decomposition of large carrion has not been reliably evaluated. During several pig carcass studies in Poland, large body of data on adult and larval Sarcophagidae was collected. We determined (1) assemblages of adult flesh flies visiting pig carrion in various habitats, (2) species of flesh flies which breed in pig carcasses, and (3) temporal distribution of flesh fly larvae during decomposition. Due to species identification of complete material, including larvae, females, and males, it was possible for the first time to reliably answer several questions related to the role of Sarcophagidae in decomposition of large carrion and hence define their forensic importance. Fifteen species of flesh flies were found to visit pig carcasses, with higher diversity and abundance in grasslands as compared to forests. Sex ratio biased towards females was observed only for Sarcophaga argyrostoma, S. caerulescens, S. similis and S. carnaria species group. Gravid females and larvae were collected only in the case of S. argyrostoma, S. caerulescens, S. melanura and S. similis. Sarcophaga caerulescens and S. similis bred regularly in carcasses, while S. argyrostoma was recorded only occasionally. First instar larvae of flesh flies were recorded on carrion earlier or concurrently with first instar larvae of blowflies. Third instar larvae of S. caerulescens were usually observed before the appearance of the third instar blowfly larvae. These results contest the view that flesh flies colonise carcasses later than blowflies. Sarcophaga caerulescens is designated as a good candidate for a broad forensic use in Central European cases.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) colonising large carcasses in Central Europe

et al. 2015

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“…Flies carry mammal DNA because they use animal matters, sometimes at critical steps of their life cycle. All adults feed on faeces and carcasses if available and females are especially attracted to carcasses where they can obtain the proteins necessary to the maturation of their reproductive system and oviposit (Gennard, 2012;Mart ın-Vega & Baz, 2013). Fly seem to feed opportunistically, exploiting faeces and carrion from a broad range of mammals (Calvignac-Spencer, Merkel, et al, 2013;Lee et al, 2016;Rodgers et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blow flies as urban wildlife sensors

Hoffmann

Merkel

Sachse

et al. 2018

Molecular Ecology Resources

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Wildlife detection in urban areas is very challenging. Conventional monitoring techniques such as direct observation are faced with the limitation that urban wildlife is extremely elusive. It was recently shown that invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA) can be used to assess wildlife diversity in tropical rainforests. Flies, which are ubiquitous and very abundant in most cities, may also be used to detect wildlife in urban areas. In urban ecosystems, however, overwhelming quantities of domestic mammal DNA could completely mask the presence of wild mammal DNA. To test whether urban wild mammals can be detected using fly iDNA, we performed DNA metabarcoding of pools of flies captured in Berlin, Germany, using three combinations of blocking primers. Our results show that domestic animal sequences are, as expected, very dominant in urban environments. Nevertheless, wild mammal sequences can often be retrieved, although they usually only represent a minor fraction of the sequence reads. Fly iDNA metabarcoding is therefore a viable approach for quick scans of urban wildlife diversity. Interestingly, our study also shows that blocking primers can interact with each other in ways that affect the outcome of metabarcoding. We conclude that the use of complex combinations of blocking primers, although potentially powerful, should be carefully planned when designing experiments.

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“…The dominance of females in all periods of the day, irrespective of the species was similarly observed among nine Calliphoridae species in traps baited with squid in Spain . Information on female behavior is critical in assessing the forensic relevance of necrophagous species, especially when native and invasive species compete for the same resource.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Diurnal and Nocturnal Flight Activity of Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in a Rainforest Fragment in Brazil: Implications for the Colonization of Homicide Victims

Soares

Vasconcelos

2016

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Nocturnal flight of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a controversial issue in forensic entomology. We performed two field experiments to investigate the diurnal and nocturnal activity of six blow fly species in a rainforest fragment in Brazil. Initially, nocturnal (17:30-05:30) versus diurnal (05:30-17:30) flight activity was investigated. Only 3.9% of adults were collected at night, mostly the native species Mesembrinella bicolor, and nocturnal oviposition did not occur. In the second experiment, collection of adults took place at the following intervals: 05:30-08:30, 08:30-11:30, 11:30-14:30, and 14:30-17:30. The proportions of adults did not differ significantly among the four diurnal intervals, except for Hemilucilia segmentaria, which was captured more frequently in the early morning. Calliphoridae has predominantly diurnal behavior, not laying eggs in darkness. The association of the native species M. bicolor, Hemilucilia semidiaphana, and H. segmentaria to forested areas reinforces the forensic relevance of data on their flight pattern.

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Sex-Biased Captures of Sarcosaprophagous Diptera in Carrion-Baited Traps

Cited by 33 publications

References 40 publications

Flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) colonising large carcasses in Central Europe

Flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) colonising large carcasses in Central Europe

Blow flies as urban wildlife sensors

Diurnal and Nocturnal Flight Activity of Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in a Rainforest Fragment in Brazil: Implications for the Colonization of Homicide Victims

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