Comparative Adult Longevity of Chrysomya rufifacies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) (Macquart) and Cochliomyia macellaria (Diptera: Calliphoridae) (Fabricius)

Authors

  • Luke Chambless

Abstract

Many forensically important Calliphorids reap their importance from use of their relatively known development time. Both Chrysomya rufifacies and Cochliomyia macellaria are in the family Calliphoridae, and have been found to invade human corpses. This allows a postmortem interval (PMI) to be established, and this levies them forensic significance. If more points of comparison pertaining to elements of development or time lived of Ch. rufifacies and C. macellaria could be correctly utilized, then a more accurate PMI could be produced. In this study C. macellaria and Ch. rufifacies adults (F1) were reared from maggots obtained on a highway (P1) in order to record the length of time each individual F1 adult lived. The mean longevity of C. macellaria was found to be about 4 days longer than the longevity of Ch. rufifacies and showed no apparent positive correlation between observed general body size and the length of time an adult lived

Published

2017-06-12