Nocturnal Colonization Behavior of Blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in Southeastern Australia

Worldwide research into nocturnal colonization by blowflies has produced many contradictory findings, prompting investigation specific to southeastern Australia. Initial experiments showed that blowfly colonization begins shortly after sunrise and continues until sunset; nocturnal colonization never...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of forensic sciences 2013-01, Vol.58 (s1), p.S112-S116
Main Authors: George, Kelly A., Archer, Melanie S., Toop, Tes
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Animals
Australia
Calliphora
Calliphoridae
Circadian Rhythm - physiology
Confined Spaces
Diptera - physiology
Entomology
Female
forensic entomology
Forensic Pathology
forensic science
Forensic sciences
Humidity
Insects
Larva - physiology
Lighting
minimum postmortem interval
nocturnal colonization
Nonnative species
Oviposition - physiology
Sunlight
Temperature
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Summary:Worldwide research into nocturnal colonization by blowflies has produced many contradictory findings, prompting investigation specific to southeastern Australia. Initial experiments showed that blowfly colonization begins shortly after sunrise and continues until sunset; nocturnal colonization never occurred. Colonization peaks occurred at mid‐morning, midday, and in the hours preceding sunset. In an additional experiment, wild blowflies were captured and placed in cages with colonization medium supplied nocturnally. Colonization occurred on four of five nights, and Calliphora augur (Fabricius) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) was the main species colonizing baits nocturnally. Results suggest that colonization is most likely to occur during warm weather and when flies are able to walk or crawl to bait. In particular, blowflies trapped within a confined space (such as a room or car) with warmer‐than‐ambient temperature may be stimulated to colonize nearby remains. Entomologists should consider these findings when estimating minimum postmortem interval under these environmental conditions.
ISSN:0022-1198
1556-4029
DOI:10.1111/j.1556-4029.2012.02277.x