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University of Huddersfield Repository Bostock, Esta Megaselia scalaris (Diptera: Phoridae), a fly of forensic interest: advances in chronobiology and biology Original Citation Bostock, Esta (2015) Megaselia scalaris (Diptera: Phoridae), a fly of forensic interest: advances in chronobiology and biology. Doctoral thesis, University of Huddersfield. This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/26168/ The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of the University, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the items on this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners. Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided: • The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy; • A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and • The content is not changed in any way. For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, please contact the Repository Team at: [email protected]. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/ Megaselia scalaris (Diptera: Phoridae), a fly of forensic interest: advances in chronobiology and biology ESTA BOSTOCK A thesis submitted to the University of Huddersfield in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The University of Huddersfield August 2015 Copyright statement i. The author of this thesis (Including any appendices and/or schedules to this thesis) owns any copyright in it (the “Copyright”) and s/he has given The University of Huddersfield the right to use such copyright for any administrative, promotional, educational and/or teaching purposes. ii. Copies of this thesis, either in full or in extracts, may be made only in accordance with the regulations of the University Library. Details of these regulations may be obtained from the Librarian. This page must form part of any such copies made. iii. The ownership of any patents, designs, trademarks and any and all other intellectual property rights except for the Copyright (the “Intellectual Property Rights”) and any reproductions of copyright works, for example graphs and tables (“Reproductions”), which may be described in this thesis, may not be owned by the author and may be owned by third parties. Such Intellectual Property Rights and Reproductions cannot and must not be made available for use without the prior written permission of the owner(s) of the relevant Intellectual Property Rights and/or Reproductions ii Acknowledgements This thesis only becomes reality from all the kind support, understanding and help of so many individuals whose names may not all be mentioned, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to you all. I would like to start by expressing my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Stefano Vanin, whose expertise, understanding, and patience, added considerably to my graduate experience. I appreciate his vast knowledge and skill in many areas and for his assistance in writing reports. I offer my sincere appreciation for all the learning opportunities provided by Dr. Stefano Vanin and the University of Huddersfield. I would also like to thank Dr. Graham Williams for all the support and guidance he has offered me from my undergraduate years onwards, thank you to all the academic staff for their motivation and encouragement over the years. My project would not have been possible without the ‘Fred’ flies collected by Dr Valentina Bugelli, thank you! I would also like to thank the postgraduate researchers for their help, guidance and loan of a shoulder to which helped get me through the highs and lows of my PhD. Appreciation also goes out to the science technicians for all of their assistance throughout my time as a postgraduate, and to the office staff for all the instances in which their assistance helped me along the way. My undying gratitude goes out to my family for their continued love, encouragement and support throughout my time at university. Thank you! iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ iii List of Figures ............................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ............................................................................................................... xiii Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. xvii Abstract ........................................................................................................................ xxi 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 General Introduction to Forensic Entomology ................................................... 2 1.2 The role of Diptera and other Arthropods in body decomposition and PMI estimation. ................................................................................................................... 5 1.3 Introduction to Phoridae (Diptera) ................................................................... 30 1.4 Megaselia scalaris .......................................................................................... 35 1.5 Aims of Research ............................................................................................ 48 2: Morphology............................................................................................................... 70 2.1 Morphology .................................................................................................... 71 2.1.1 Introduction.............................................................................................. 71 2.2.2 Experimental Design ................................................................................ 74 2.2.3 Results ..................................................................................................... 79 2.2.4 Discussion .............................................................................................. 106 3: Effect of Diet on Development ................................................................................ 110 3.1 Diets ............................................................................................................. 111 3.1.1 Introduction............................................................................................ 111 3.1.2 Experimental Design .............................................................................. 115 3.1.3 Results ................................................................................................... 120 3.1.4 Discussion .............................................................................................. 136 iv 3.2 Entomotoxicology ......................................................................................... 139 3.2.1 Introduction............................................................................................ 139 3.2.2 Experimental Design .............................................................................. 142 3.2.3 Results ................................................................................................... 144 3.2.4 Discussion .............................................................................................. 149 4: Chronobiology of Megaselia scalaris ...................................................................... 152 4.1 Locomotor Activity ....................................................................................... 153 4.1.1 Introduction............................................................................................ 153 4.1.2 Experimental Design .............................................................................. 155 4.1.3 Results ................................................................................................... 160 4.1.4 Discussion .............................................................................................. 167 4.2 Diurnal/Nocturnal Activity and Oviposition .................................................. 168 4.2.1 Introduction............................................................................................ 168 4.2.2 Experimental Design .............................................................................. 170 4.2.3 Results ................................................................................................... 174 4.2.4 Discussion .............................................................................................. 181 4.3 Emergence .................................................................................................... 184 4.3.1 Introduction............................................................................................ 184 4.3.2 Experimental Design .............................................................................. 186 4.3.3 Results ................................................................................................... 187 4.3.4 Discussion .............................................................................................. 194 5: Burial Behaviour in Soil and Penetration through Bandage and Fabrics ................... 196 5.1 Burial behaviour in