A Comparative Study of Circadian Rhythmicity and Photoperiodism in Closely Related Species of Blow Flies: External Coincidence, Maternal Induction, and Diapause at Northern Latitudes

This review compares adult locomotor activity rhythms and photoperiodic induction of diapause in 3 common species of blow fly, Calliphora vicina, Lucilia sericata, and Protophormia terraenovae. Activity rhythms were broadly similar in all 3 species, although P. terraenovae is much less sensitive to constant light inducing arrhythmicity. Photoperiodic induction of diapause, on the other hand, varies more widely between species. C. vicina and L. sericata overwinter in a larval diapause induced by autumnal short days (long nights) acting both maternally and directly upon the larvae. P. terraenovae, on the other hand, shows an adult (reproductive) diapause induced by short daylength and low temperature experienced by the larvae. In the Nanda-Hamner protocol, C. vicina shows 3 clear peaks of high diapause incidence in cycle lengths close to 24, 48, and 72 h, without dampening and therefore suggesting a photoperiodic mechanism based on a self-sustained circadian oscillator acting in a clock of the external coincidence type. Entrainment of the locomotor activity rhythm to extended Nanda-Hamner photocycles, as well as to LD cycles close to the limits of the primary range of entrainment, demonstrates that overt circadian rhythmicity may act as ‘hands’ of the otherwise covert photoperiodic system, as suggested by Bünning, nearly 8 decades ago. In 24 h LD cycles, both locomotor activity rhythms and the photoperiodic oscillator are set to constant phase (CT 12) at light-off, so that the photoperiodic clock measures changes in nightlength by the coincidence (or not) of dawn light with a ‘photoinducible phase’ late in the subjective night (at about CT 21.5 h) as photoperiod changes with the seasons. Apparent differences between quantitative and qualitative photoperiodic responses are discussed.

Temporal dynamic and key species of the sarcosapropha­gous entomofauna in a Mediterranean natural environment

Los insectos pueden detectar la presencia de un cadáver a gran distancia, colonizándolo rápidamente y siendo los primeros en explotar este recurso. La composición y dinámica de la comunidad, junto con su presencia en un lugar específico, son clave para su posterior aplicación forense. Por este motivo, se estudió la fauna entomosarcosaprófaga asociada a un cadáver en una zona montañosa de la provincia de Murcia (SE, España). Las especies Chrysomya albiceps, Calliphora vicina y C. vomitoria fueron las especies más valiosas como indicadores estacionales. Estas especies, junto con Dermestes frischii, Camponotus sylvaticus y la superfamilia Chalcidoidea, definen un patrón claro de colonización que varía según la estación del año. Finalmente, la especies Iberoformica subrufa pueden tener valor potencial como indicador de hábitat del área estudiada. Insects can detect the presence of a cadaver at a great distance, colonizing it rapidly and being the first to exploit this resource. Its composition and dynamics, together with its presence in a specific location, are key to its subsequent forensic application. For this reason, it was studied the entomosarcosaprophagous fauna associated with a carcass in a wild mountainous area of the province of Murcia (SE, Spain). The species Chrysomya albiceps, Calliphora vicina and C. vomitoria were the most valuables species as seasonal indicators. These species, together with Dermestes frischii, Camponotus sylvaticus and those of the Chalcidoidea superfamily, define a clear pattern of colonization that varies according to the season of the year. Finally, the species Iberoformica subrufa may be of potential use as habitat indicator of the studied area.

Age-dependent gene expression of Calliphora vicina pupae (Diptera: Calliphoridae) at constant and fluctuating temperatures

Estimating the age of the developmental stages of the blow fly Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is of forensic relevance for the determination of the minimum post-mortem interval (PMImin). Fly eggs and larvae can be aged using anatomical and morphological characters and their modification during development. However, such methods can only hardly be applied for aging fly pupae. Previous study described age estimation of C. vicina pupae using gene expression, but just when reared at constant temperatures, but fluctuating temperatures represent a more realistic scenario at a crime scene. Therefore, age-dependent gene expression of C. vicina pupae were compared at 3 fluctuating and 3 constant temperatures, the latter representing the mean values of the fluctuating profiles. The chosen marker genes showed uniform expression patterns during metamorphosis of C. vicina pupae bred at different temperature conditions (constant or fluctuating) but the same mean temperature (e.g. constant 10 °C vs. fluctuating 5–15 °C). We present an R-based statistical tool, which enables estimation of the age of the examined pupa based on the analysed gene expression data.

Insect faunal succession on buried goat carcass in Aligarh Region of Uttar Pradesh, India, with implications in forensic entomology

Background Studies on the insect fauna of animal corpses, used as a vertebrate model, may help forensic investigation cases to estimate the post-mortem-interval (PMI), cause of death, and crime-scene location. Likewise, entomofauna of buried corpses can assist in determining the post-burial-interval (PBI), movement of the body or hiding of the crime. The bodies buried under the soil decompose at a slower rate than the body exposed. Also, there are fewer insects that can go underground to locate the corpse. Such types of studies on the insect fauna of buried carrion can help in forensic investigation cases. The current study aims to determine the succession of a goat carcass buried shallowly in an outdoor habitat of the Aligarh Region, North India. Results In the present study, we examined a goat carcass buried at a depth of nine inches to determine the type of insects capable of colonizing buried animal carcass in the study area of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. We have found five species of Diptera, three species of Coleoptera, one Hemipteran species, and one Hymenopteran species. Adult Dipterans found during different samplings were Megaselia scalaris (Loew 1866), Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius 1794), and Calliphora vicina (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830). Dipterans’ immature stages were found to be of Synthesiomyia nudiseta (van der Wulp, 1883) and Hydrotaea capensis (Wiedemann, 1830) Megaselia scalaris. Adults of Saprinus quadriguttatus (Fabricius, 1798), Saprinus splendens (Paykull, 1811), and Onthophagous quadridentatus (Fabricius, 1798) of order Coleoptera. Adult Cydnus species (Fabricius, 1803) of Hemiptera and Dorylus species (Fabricius, 1793) of Hymenoptera have also been recorded. During the sampling, the authors reported the stages of carcass disintegration and the insects associated with it. Conclusions Flies, beetles, and ants have been recorded in association with the buried goat carcass, which may add to the knowledge of colonization of buried bodies in India and around the globe. S. nudiseta, H. capensis, and M. scalaris, which are found on the goat carrion in the current study, have also been reported on human corpses in the past. Furthermore, M. scalaris found consistently on two sampling dates beneath the ground on the goat carcass and was also seen running on the grave’s surface. In addition, authors have reported several species belonging to different order and families, corresponding to various stages of decomposition of corpse which were earlier not known from buried corpses from India. So, it is crucial and may have implications in medicolegal cases.

Effects of ante-mortem use of methadone on insect succession patterns

Background Evaluation of insect succession patterns is a scientific method to estimate the time elapsed since death. Several studies have shown that ante-mortem intake of opioids affect maggot growth rate. However, there are few published data that investigate the effect of ante-mortem opioid use on insect succession patterns. Therefore, the main purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of methadone on the succession patterns of insects on rabbit carcasses during the spring and winter of 2019. In the present study, the H-null hypothesis represents the dissimilarity between the successional waves of species from testing and control carcasses (H0: P: 0). Results During this study, 15 and 13 insect species were collected from carcasses during the spring and winter, respectively. The most dominant species during the both seasons were Chrysomya albiceps and Calliphora vicina. These two species preferred to lay eggs on the control carcasses earlier than the treated carcasses. Lucilia cuprina was observed only from the remains of untreated carcasses, while Saprinus chalcites and Necrobia rufipes were recorded only from the remains of treated rabbits. Samples indicate that 11.8% of the insects were members of the Coleoptera. Permutation analyzes based on the Mantel test were 0.647 ± 0.16 (P = 0.009) and 0.693 ± 0.16 (P = 0.003) for the similarity of the species between treated and untreated carcasses in the spring and winter, respectively. Permutation analyzes for the two most dominant fly species (Ch. albiceps and C. vicina) between the treated and untreated carcasses in the spring and winter were 0.515 ± 0.15 (P = 0.05) and 0.491 ± 0.14 (P = 0.09), respectively. Conclusion The results revealed that the overall pattern of insect succession was similar between the treated and untreated rabbit carcasses. However, the patterns of succession of Chrysomya albiceps and Calliphora vicina differed slightly between treated and untreated carcasses, and this could have an effect on the PMI min estimate.

Dodecanol, metabolite of entomopathogenic fungus Conidiobolus coronatus, affects fatty acid composition and cellular immunity of Galleria mellonella and Calliphora vicina

One group of promising pest control agents are the entomopathogenic fungi; one such example is Conidiobolus coronatus, which produces a range of metabolites. Our present findings reveal for the first time that C. coronatus also produces dodecanol, a compound widely used to make surfactants and pharmaceuticals, and enhance flavors in food. The main aim of the study was to determine the influence of dodecanol on insect defense systems, i.e. cuticular lipid composition and the condition of insect immunocompetent cells; hence, its effect was examined in detail on two species differing in susceptibility to fungal infection: Galleria mellonella and Calliphora vicina. Dodecanol treatment elicited significant quantitative and qualitative differences in cuticular free fatty acid (FFA) profiles between the species, based on gas chromatography analysis with mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and had a negative effect on G. mellonella and C. vicina hemocytes and a Sf9 cell line in vitro: after 48 h, almost all the cells were completely disintegrated. The metabolite had a negative effect on the insect defense system, suggesting that it could play an important role during C. coronatus infection. Its high insecticidal activity and lack of toxicity towards vertebrates suggest it could be an effective insecticide.

FEATURES OF FLIES OF THE LIVESTOCK COMPLEX OF YUKHNOVSKY DISTRICT, KALUGA REGION

Flies are also the main negative indicator of the low-level sanitary condition of the production. At livestock farms and complexes of the Yukhnovsky District of the Kaluga Region, a significant part of livestock products is lost due to the parasitism of harmful insects, namely flies. The article describes some features of the fauna and ecology of zoophillic flies spread on the territory of the Collective Agricultural Enterprise UGRA in Yukhnov. The dominant species is Musca domestica domestica (CI 81.62%), the subdominant species are Protophormia terrae-novae (CI 13.97%), Muscina stabulans (CI 0.94%), Calliphora uralensis (CI 0.86%) and Fannia canicularis (CI 0.86%). Few in number are Calliphora vicina (CI 0.68%), Lucilia sericata (CI 0.45%), Сеrохуs urticae (CI 0.34%), Themira putris (CI 0.18%) and Ravinia striata (CI 0.15%). Diptera of the family Muscidae (CI 71.8%) dominate on pastures, and Caliphoridae (16.9%) and Sarcofagidae (6.2%) are subdominant. In the first family, the housefly is the most widespread (CI 21.6%) followed by Musca osiris (pasture fly 8.4%). The total duration of flying of the main species of zoophillic flies in their habitats ranges from 100 to 150 days.

Technical Note: Effects of Makeshift Storage in Different Liquors on Larvae of the Blowflies Calliphora vicina and Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Unexpected findings of forensically important insects might prompt makeshift storage in alternative liquids if the proper equipment is lacking. The assessment of whether such evidence can still be used and correctly interpreted can be difficult. In this study, the effects of using alcoholic beverages as storing agents for post-feeding larvae of Calliphora vicina and Lucilia sericata were analyzed. Larvae were killed with boiling water (HWK) or placed alive into four alcoholic liquids: two spirits, vodka and brandy, and two liquors, Jägermeister and peppermint schnapps. Storage effects were documented after one day, nine days, and one month and compared to larvae treated according to guidelines for forensic entomology. Results show that the method of killing larvae is more important than the storing medium. Storage of HWK larvae in high-alcohol/low-sugar spirits had almost negligible effects on both species, while all fresh larvae shrank significantly. High sugar contents of the beverages might additionally lead to shrinkage of larvae.