Early colonisation of urban indoor carcasses by blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae): An experimental study from central Spain

• Published in: Forensic science international 2017-09, Vol.278, p.87-94
• Main Authors: Martín-Vega, Daniel, Martín Nieto, Carla, Cifrián, Blanca, Baz, Arturo, Díaz-Aranda, Luisa M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abandonments; Animals; Autumn; Cadavers; Calliphora; Carcasses; Carrion; Chrysomya; Colonization; Diptera; Entomology; Environment, Controlled; Experiments; Feeding Behavior; Flies; Forensic engineering; Forensic entomology; Forensic science; Forensic Sciences; Herbivores; Hogs; Indoor environments; Insects; Legs; Lucilia; Minimum post-mortem interval; Models, Animal; Orifices; Oviposition; Postmortem Changes; Seasons; Spain; Species composition; Spring (season); Summer; Swine; Temperature; Urban environments; Winter
• ISSN: 0379-0738; 1872-6283
• DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.06.036

•Blow flies can colonise indoor carcasses within 24–48h after death in every season.•Primary and secondary coloniser species are identified.•Species composition and contribution to carrion colonisation differ among seasons.•The mouth was the preferred oviposition site for the first colonisers. Due to their ubiquity and synanthropy, blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are generally the first colonisers of cadavers and, therefore, frequently used to estimate a minimum post-mortem interval (minPMI). Whereas in outdoor situations blow flies are expected to locate and colonise exposed cadavers within hours or even minutes after death, it is usually assumed that the colonisation of a cadaver indoors might be delayed for an uncertain period of time. This uncertainty severely limits the informativity of minPMI estimates based on entomological evidence. Moreover, these limitations are emphasised by the lack of experimental data on insect colonisation of indoor carrion and by the fact that most of the forensic cases involving entomological evidence have been reported to occur indoors. In this study we investigate the early colonisation of pig carcasses placed indoors in a building located in the centre of an urban environment in central Spain. Three carcasses were placed in three equal rooms with a window half opened during five experimental trials: summer 2013, autumn 2013, winter 2014, spring 2014 and summer 2014. The species composition and their contribution to the carrion colonisation differed among seasons. Calliphora vicina Robineau–Desvoidy was the sole coloniser of carcasses in winter and colonised the carcasses within the first 24–48h in every season, although Lucilia sericata (Meigen) was the first coloniser of most summer carcasses. On the other hand, Calliphora vomitoria (L.) and Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann) colonised the carcasses significantly later in spring and in spring and summer, respectively, with a delay of several days. In autumn, however, there were no significant differences in the colonisation times by C. vicina, L. sericata and Ch. albiceps. C. vicina and L. sericata showed a clear preference for ovipositing in the natural orifices of the carcasses, whereas Ch. albiceps oviposited more frequently on the trunk and legs.