Diptera) in the Nearctic Region Sabrina Rochefort1, Marjolaine Giroux2, Jade Savage3 and Terry A
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Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identifi cation No. 27 (January, 2015) ROCHEFORT ET AL. Key to Forensically Important Piophilidae (Diptera) in the Nearctic Region Sabrina Rochefort1, Marjolaine Giroux2, Jade Savage3 and Terry A. Wheeler1 1Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Macdonald Campus, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada; [email protected], [email protected] 2Montréal Insectarium / Space for life, 4581, rue Sherbrooke Est, Montréal, QC, H1X 2B2, Canada; [email protected] 3Biological Sciences, Bishop’s University, 2600 College Street, Sherbrooke, QC, J1M 1Z7, Canada [email protected]; Abstract Many species of Piophilidae (Diptera) are relevant to forensic entomology because their presence on a corpse can be helpful in estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) and document insect succession. The aims of this paper are to document the fauna of forensically relevant Piophilidae species worldwide and to present an updated checklist and identifi cation key to the Nearctic species, as existing keys are either outdated, too broad in geographical scope to be user-friendly, and/or contain ambiguous characters. Thirteen species are included in the checklist and key. Information on their biology, taxonomy, character variability, and distribution is provided, supplementing the extensive work of McAlpine (1977). Introduction stages (Martinez et al. 2006, Grisales et al. 2010). Forensic entomology is the use of insects and other Identifying species of forensic importance can arthropods as evidence in legal investigations (Catts sometimes be challenging when using morphological & Goff 1992). An important aspect of the discipline characters alone (Byrd & Castner 2001, Amendt et al. involves the estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) 2011) and alternatives such as DNA markers have been based on arthropods associated with a body, an approach developed to identify problematic specimens (Wells that requires extensive knowledge of the local fauna and & Stevens 2008). While molecular techniques can be its association with carrion at different decomposition a useful complement to morphology-based specimen stages and under different conditions (Goff 2000, identifi cation, they do not always yield correct or Amendt et al. 2011). Necrophagous fl ies (Diptera) are of unambiguous identifi cation results (e.g. Whitworth et forensic importance as they often appear on a body fi rst, al. 2007) and require access to equipment, facilities and consume most of the tissues, and display similar patterns funding for molecular analysis; thus, morphology-based of succession in different regions of the world, at least at regional keys remain time- and cost-effective tools for the family level (Catts & Goff 1992, Amendt et al. 2011). the identifi cation of most forensically important species. The family Piophilidae contains 82 species worldwide McAlpine (1977) contributed signifi cantly to the (Pape et al. 2009), at least 37 of which are present in the systematics of the family Piophilidae through the Nearctic region (McAlpine 1977). Several species can proposal of a revised classifi cation of the family (although be found on dung, bone, garbage, decaying vegetation, this was not based on an explicit phylogenetic analysis), fungi, bird nests and discarded antlers (Melander & description of six new species and two new genera, Spuler 1917, McAlpine 1977, Bonduriansky & Brooks taxonomic changes to other species, the documentation 1999a). Other species are associated with carrion in of species distributions, and the publication of worldwide a range of decomposition stages and are therefore identifi cation keys to species. McAlpines’s work, relevant to forensic entomology (Greenberg 1991, however, was published more than 35 years ago, and his Byrd & Castner 2001). Depending on the locality, adult species keys can be diffi cult to use, especially by non- Piophilidae are mostly seen throughout the bloated and experts, as they are based mostly on colour characters decay stages (Johnson 1975, Fiedler et al. 2008, Prado e and do not include species described since that time. Castro et al. 2012) while the larvae are more common in In an effort to complement and update McAlpine the advanced (Martín-Vega et al. 2011) and dry/remain (1977), the objectives of this work are to document doi:10.3752/cjai.2015.27 1 Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification No. 27 (January, 2015) ROCHEFORT ET AL. Piophilidae species of known or potential forensic revised classification of the Piophilidae is required. importance worldwide, to compile a checklist of Nearctic Photographs for the key were taken with an Piophilidae species relevant to forensic entomology Olympus DP71 camera mounted on an Olympus SZX16 based on published records in the literature and new data stereoscope. Images were captured and stacked using from Quebec (Canada), to update the distribution records DP Controller and Combine ZP (Hadley 2008) before and document the intraspecific variations of all species being enhanced using Adobe Photoshop [CS3] (Adobe in the Nearctic checklist, and to develop a user-friendly Systems, Mountain view, CA). key to forensically relevant Piophilidae species in the Nearctic. Identification challenges in the Piophilidae The key to the world species of Piophilidae by Materials and Methods McAlpine (1977) remains the most complete work for The checklist of Nearctic Piophilidae of forensic the identification of adults even though several new importance was compiled from the literature and from species have since been described (Soós 1977, McAlpine specimens collected in the context of a study of the 1978, McAlpine 1989, Ozerov 1989, Ozerov & Barták insect fauna associated with nine pig carcasses in three 1993, Bonduriansky 1995, Merz 1996, Ozerov 2000, semi-urban sites located along a latitudinal gradient in 2002, 2004, 2007, Martín-Vega 2014, Rochefort & Quebec (Canada) in summer 2011 by Giroux, Savage Wheeler 2015) and additional distribution records are and collaborators. The sampling sites were Ste-Anne- known based on museum specimens. McAlpine’s (1977) de-Bellevue (45.436°, -73.909°) (22 June to 14 August), key is not ideal to identify piophilids in forensic studies Sherbrooke (45.361°, -71.844°) (6 July to 26 August) as it includes many non-forensically important species and Saguenay (La Baie) (48.350°, -70.967°) (4 July to and is mostly based on colour differences which can be 19 August). troublesome in this family due to intraspecific colour Approximately 1065 piophilid specimens from these variations. Such polymorphisms have been documented three sites were examined. They were identified to species in several species of forensic interest such as Parapiophila using McAlpine (1977) and compared with reference atrifrons (Melander & Spuler) (Rochefort & Wheeler specimens in the Canadian National Collection of Insects, 2015), Parapiophila vulgaris (Fallén) (McAlpine 1977) Arachnids and Nematodes, Ottawa, ON (CNC) and the and Prochyliza nigrimana (Meigen) (Martín-Vega & Lyman Entomological Museum, McGill University, Ste- Baz 2011). Some species are also morphologically very Anne-de-Bellevue, QC (LEM). Voucher specimens were similar. In southern Europe, for example, the very similar deposited in the Insectarium de Montréal’s scientific Piophila casei (L.) and Piophila megastigmata McAlpine collections (IMQC) and the Bishop’s University Insect co-occur; this can cause identification errors that may Collection (BUIC). lead to erroneous PMI estimations (Martín-Vega 2011). In addition, approximately 5600 specimens of Confusion between P. megastigmata and P. casei has Piophilidae included in the key were examined to occurred in forensic research (e.g., Prado e Castro 2010), document geographic distribution and intraspecific a mistake that might actually be widespread in the field variability. These specimens are deposited in CNC; LEM; (Prado e Castro et al. 2012), and we suspect that such the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, Guelph, ON, (BIO); confusion may also apply to other species pairs in the the University of Guelph Insect Collection, Guelph, Nearctic. ON, (DEBU); the Ouellet-Robert Collection, Université Some forensic studies limit Piophilidae identification de Montréal, Montréal, QC (UMIC); the Spencer to the family or generic levels (e.g., Schoenly et al. 2007, Entomological Collection, Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Voss et al. 2008, Velasquez et al. 2010, Bygarski & Vancouver, BC (UBCZ); the Strickland Museum, Leblanc 2013) or identify the material as Piophila casei, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB (UASM); and despite the fact that several species have been documented the United States National Museum of Natural History, in forensic literature worldwide (Table 1). Piophila casei Washington DC, (USNM). Additional published records is a well-known, cosmopolitan, synanthropic species and were added where necessary. was the first piophilid documented in forensic studies Classification of genera and species follows (Megnin 1894). This may account for the possibility that McAlpine (1977) for consistency with the Nearctic Piophilidae collected in forensic studies are frequently literature. Ozerov (2004) proposed a different generic identified (or misidentified) as Piophila casei (see classification, followed by some authors, especially in Martín-Vega 2011). Europe, but that classification, like McAlpine’s, was not based on a phylogenetic analysis and thus is no better supported. A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis