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The Muscidae is one of the main dipteran families recognized as important for medico-legal purposes. Although an association of adult flies with decomposing human and animal bodies is documented for about 200 taxa worldwide, cadavers and carrion represents a breeding habitat for considerably fewer species. Species that do colonize dead human bodies can do so under diverse environmental conditions and, under certain circumstances, Muscidae may be the only colonizers of a body. Because of difficulties in identification, many studies have identified immature and/or adult muscids only to the genus or family level. This lack of detailed species-level identifications hinders detailed investigation of their medico-legal usefulness in carrion succession-oriented experiments. Identification to species level of third instars of Muscidae of forensic importance and the utility of larval morphological characters for taxonomic purposes were subjected to an in-depth revision. A combination of characters allowing for the discrimination of third instar muscids from other forensically important dipterans is proposed. An identification key for third instar larvae, which covers the full set of cadaver-colonising species of Muscidae from the western Palaearctic (Europe, North Africa, Middle East), is provided. This key will facilitate more detailed and species-specific knowledge of the occurrence of Muscidae in forensic entomology experiments and real cases. The carrion-visiting Muscidae worldwide are catalogued, and those species breeding in animal carrion and dead human bodies are briefly discussed with regard to their forensic importance.

The invasive parasitic fly, Philornis downsi (Muscidae), is one of the greatest threats to the avifauna of the Galapagos Islands. The larvae of this fly feed on the blood and tissues of developing nestlings of at least 18 endemic and native birds. The aim of the current study was to investigate biotic and abiotic factors that may influence the population dynamics of this invasive parasite. To study the influence of vegetation zone and related climatic factors on fly numbers, a bi-weekly monitoring program using papaya-baited traps was carried out at a dry, lowland site and at a humid, highland site on Santa Cruz Island between 2012-2014. Female flies, a large proportion of which were inseminated and gravid, were collected throughout the year at both sites, indicating females were active during and between the bird breeding seasons. This is the first evidence that female flies are able to persist even when hosts are scarce. On the other hand, catch rates of male flies declined between bird breeding seasons. Overall, catch rates of P. downsi were higher in the drier, lowland habitat, which may be a consequence of host or resource availability. Time was a stronger predictor of adult fly numbers than climate, further suggesting that P. downsi does not appear to be limited by its environment, but rather by host availability. Seasonal catch rates suggested that populations in both habitats were continuous and multivoltine. Numbers of adult female flies appeared to be regulated chiefly by simple direct density dependence, and may be governed by availability of bird nests with nestlings. Nevertheless, confounding factors such as the existence of reservoir hosts that perpetuate fly populations and changes in behavior of P. downsi may increase the vulnerability of bird hosts that are already IUCN red-listed or in decline.

In this study, Stomoxys species ( S . calcitrans , S . sitiens and S . indica ) were examined to improve on the current technique for mass rearing using a method of combined incubation parameters. Moreover, the reproductive potential of immature forms at various stages of development was defined. Immature forms of stable flies were incubated according to species. There was no significant difference in the number of immature forms obtained among species incubated under the same conditions. Six incubation parameters were used in combination, at temperatures (T) of 32°C, 27°C and 22°C and relative humidity (RH) of 90% and 70% RH. The combined method resulted in a higher number of eggs hatching at 32°C and 90% humidity as well as an increase in the number of larva pupated and emergence of imago at 27°C and 70% humidity.

Colonies of house flies (Musca domestica L. [Diptera: Muscidae]) and four species of parasitoids (Muscidifurax raptor Girault and Sanders, Muscidifurax zaraptor Kogan and Legner, Spalangia cameroni Perkins and Spalangia endius Walker) were established by making collections from dairy farms near Bell, FL, Beatrice, NE, Minneapolis, MN, and San Jacinto, CA. Colonies were assessed for heat tolerance by comparing life history parameters at 25–27°C and fluctuating hot (26.7–41.7°C) temperatures. Muscidifurax raptor, S. cameroni, and S. endius produced 24–28% as many progeny under hot conditions as at 25°C. Colonies of M. zaraptor were more heat-tolerant and produced an average 46.9% as many progeny under the hot regime compared with moderate conditions. There was little evidence for higher heat tolerance in parasitoid populations from historically hot locations (CA desert and FL). Colonies of M. raptor and S. endius that had been in culture for 24 yr were the least heat-tolerant with regard to progeny production. House flies collected from the same locations varied little in longevity, fecundity, or egg-to-adult survival under either hot or moderate regimes. Flies reared under hot conditions laid about half as many eggs (89/female) and had about half the egg–adult survival rate (47.3%) under hot compared with moderate conditions, indicating that heat stress had less effect on flies than on all of the parasitoids except M. zaraptor. An attempt to select for heat tolerance in flies by subjecting them to incremental increases in rearing temperatures for 20 generations resulted in little change in tolerance among the selected flies.

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.

The muscid Synthesiomyia nudiseta (van der Wulp, 1883) is a species with forensic importance in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. This fly has recently been introduced into southern Europe and, until now, had not been recorded in forensic cases in this region. Here, morphology of all larval instars of S. nudiseta is documented in detail by using a combination of light and scanning electron microscopy. Literature data concerning larval morphology are revised and characters allowing identification from other forensically important Muscidae are listed. The life cycle of this species was studied at four constant temperatures: 15, 20, 25 and 30 °C. Total development varied between 46.50 ± 0.97 days at 15 °C and 15.39 ± 0.32 days at 30 °C. Moreover, we report this species breeding in human corpses, for the first time in Europe, in forensic cases from autopsies at the Anatomical Forensic Institute of Madrid and the Institute of Legal Medicine of Alicante, Spain.

Hydrotaea spinigera Stein is a necrophagous species, widely distributed in Oriental and Australasian regions. Considering that the postfeeding larvae or puparia of this species can still be found in abundance at the advanced decomposition stage or even the skeleton stage of remains, it can serve as a good supplementary indicator for estimating the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin). This could also extend the range of PMImin when the primary colonizers are no longer associated with the corpse or have emerged as adults. This study investigated the development duration, accumulated degree hours, and larval body length changes of H. spinigera at seven constant temperatures ranging from 16 to 34°C, and established three development models for estimating PMImin, including isomorphen diagram, isomegalen diagram, and thermal summation model. At 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, and 34°C, the development durations of H. spinigera from egg to adult stage were 1,412.6 ± 62.9, 867.4 ± 14.9, 657.1 ± 22.9, 532.3 ± 10.1, 418.8 ± 21.3, 379.8 ± 16.6, and 340.0 ± 20.3 h, respectively. The lower developmental threshold L0 was estimated as 10.50 ± 0.20°C, and the thermal summation constant K was 7,648.83 ± 146.74 degree hours. Using regression analysis, equations were obtained modeling the change of larval body length with time after hatching at different temperatures. This study provided basic data based on the growth and development of H. spinigera for the estimation of PMImin in forensic science.

An analytical method was developed to characterize puparia cuticular lipids (hydrocarbons, waxes) and to compare the molecular distribution patterns in the extracts from either recent or older puparia. Acid-catalyzed transesterification and solvent extraction and purification, followed by combined gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, were optimized for the determination of hydrocarbons and fatty acid ethyl esters from transesterified waxes, extracted from a single species of a fly scavenger ( Hydrotaea aenescens Wiedemann, 1830). Comparison between recent (2012) or older (1997) puparia contents has highlighted significant composition differences, in particular, a general decrease of the chain length in the n -alkane distribution pattern and, on the contrary, an increase of the ester chain length. Both extracts contain traces of three hopane hydrocarbon congeners. Preliminary results evidence the change in puparia lipid composition over time, thus potentially providing new indices for estimating postmortem interval.

The presence of various species of filth flies is a widespread problem where livestock, including poultry, are maintained and where manure accumulates. The house fly, Musca domestica L.; the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.); and the little house fly, Fannia canicularis (L.) (each Diptera: Muscidae), the target pests in our study, can mechanically spread diseases, and S. calcitrans can bite cattle, causing losses in meat and milk production. Chemical control is widely used to suppress filth flies, but resistance to conventional insecticides has become problematic. Hence, an alternative approach, insect growth regulators (IGRs), has been adopted by many livestock producers. We assessed the ability of the IGR cyromazine in granular and granular-based aqueous formulations to suppress the three muscid species from developing in poultry, cattle, and swine manure collected from commercial livestock production facilities. Each of the two formulations provided either strong or complete control of the pests for the 4-wk duration of the study, excluding the granular formulation that provides control of only F. canicularis developing in poultry manure for 2 wk. The two cyromazine-based IGR formulations appear to be effective tools that, if rotated appropriately with other insecticides, can be incorporated into integrated pest management strategies for filth fly suppression.

The horn fly, Haematobia irritans (L.), is an obligate hematophagous ectoparasite of cattle, and one of the most important pests of cattle causing unrealized gains or losses in meat and milk production. The present study describes the difficulties that arise when research programs have attempted to maintain this pest, both on-host and off-host, in a laboratory environment. Suggestions aimed at assisting future researchers in successfully colonizing horn flies in the laboratory are provided.