See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329271555 Diets of animal origin and their influence on the development of the immatures of Chrysomya albiceps (Diptera: Calliphoridae): implications for forensic entomology Article in Austral Entomology · November 2018 DOI: 10.1111/aen.12379 CITATIONS READS 0 105 4 authors, including: Mônica Salazar-Souza Wellington Azevedo Laboratório de Biologia de Insetos Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) 5 PUBLICATIONS 18 CITATIONS 10 PUBLICATIONS 32 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Valéria M Aguiar-Coelho Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) 81 PUBLICATIONS 587 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Antimicrobial action of flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) from Portugal. View project ESTUDO DO DÍPTERO Chrysomya megacephala (Calliphoridae) VISANDO A UTILIZAÇÃO EM BIOTERAPIA View project All content following this page was uploaded by Valéria M Aguiar-Coelho on 12 December 2019. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. bs_bs_banner Austral Entomology (2019) 58,638–645 Diets of animal origin and their influence on the development of the immatures of Chrysomya albiceps (Diptera: Calliphoridae): implications for forensic entomology Mônica Salazar-Souza,1 Wellington Thadeu de Alcantara Azevedo,3 Márcia Souto Couri2 and Valéria Magalhães Aguiar1,3* 1Biomedical Institute, Post-graduate Program in Biological Sciences (Neotropical Biodiversity), Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Av. Pasteur, 458, Urca, Rio de Janeiro, RJ CEP 22.290-240, Brazil. 2Department of Entomology, Diptera Laboratory, National Museum/UFRJ, Quinta da Boa Vista, s/n., São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20940-040, Brazil. 3Biomedical Institute, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Frei Caneca, 94-Centro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ CEP 20211-040, Brazil. Abstract In forensic entomology, the minimum and maximum post-mortem interval (PMI) is estimated on the basis of the developmental stages of necrophagous Diptera larvae on a corpse. The nutritional composition of the decomposing tissue, which can influence larval development rates, may impact the precision of this estimate. We compared the post-embryonic development of Chrysomya albiceps reared on bovine muscle and swine lung. Forty newly hatched fly larvae, per treatment, were placed on 60 g of the following tissues: bovine muscle (control) and swine lung (T1). Each treatment had three replicates. The experiments were maintained under controlled conditions (28°C day/26°C night, 70 ± 10% RH and 12 h photophase). Flies reared on bovine muscle took significantly longer to complete their larval phase (8.1 days) than did larvae reared on swine lung (6.8 days). The total duration of development in bovine muscle was significantly slower (12.3 days) than in swine lung. Larvae that were reared on swine lungs were significantly heavier than larvae reared on bovine muscle. Total larval viability was high on pig lung (over 49%). The sex ratio was closer to the 1:1 ratio in bovine muscle (rs = 0.55), with a slightly greater proportion of female larvae. The percentage of abnormality remained within the predicted range. The results show that the different tissues influenced larval development. This underlines the importance of considering the type of cadaveric tissue when larval development is used to calculate the minimum PMI in forensic investigations. Key words forensic entomology, swine tissue, bovine tissue, post-mortem interval. INTRODUCTION flies pioneer carcass colonisation. For this reason, they are very important to forensic entomology in the calculation of the Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann) is an exotic blowflyfromthe post-mortem interval (PMI) (Souza & Linhares, 1997; Old World tropics. Besides Africa, its current distribution Oliveira-Costa, 2000). Carvalho et al. (2004) observed adults includes South America, parts of Europe and Asia (Guimarães of the species colonising domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus et al., 1978; Al Shareef & Al-Qurashi, 2016). The synanthropic L.) carcasses immediately after being exposed in an urban area. and endophilic behaviour of these flies, which is associated with Their observations also confirmed the predominance of these a variety of substrates, may have contributed to their rapid flies throughout the decomposition process, which is possibly adaptation and dispersion (Gagné, 1981; Nespoli et al., 1998). associated with the predatory behaviour of their larvae of other In Brazil, the species is very important in public health as a insects in the corpse (Queiroz & Milward-de-Azevedo, 1991). mechanical vector of pathogens. These flies are attracted to Other studies in these regions have also documented C. albiceps rubbish dumps, blood, fresh or rotten flesh, and faeces, being larvae in human cadavers in both natural and urban areas also found in open markets. They cause myiasis in animals and (Salviano et al., 1996; Oliveira-Costa et al., 2001; Oliveira- humans (Zumpt, 1965; Linhares, 1981; Braack & Retief, 1986; Costa, 2005; Andrade et al., 2005). Nespoli et al., 1998; Ferraz et al., 2011a, 2011b). Chrysomya albiceps larvae can be used in PMI estimates to Studies on fly succession on carcasses in urban areas of the establish the minimum and maximum time of death based on Brazilian south-east and north have revealed that C. albiceps the age (developmental stage) of the larvae. They can also indi- cate possible post-mortem changes or injuries, cause and circum- stances of death, and aid in entomotoxicological investigations *[email protected] (Leccese, 2004; Oliveira-Costa, 2007). © 2018 Australian Entomological Society doi: 10.1111/aen.12379 Development of the blowfly 639 Several studies have documented the development of cm) and were fed daily (ad libitum) a mixture containing 50% C. albiceps in the laboratory, some of which have employed honey, water and protein (bovine muscle). natural diets with different nutritional contents such as cow meat (Ullyett, 1950; Marckenko, 1985; Al-Misned et al., 2002; Grassberger et al., 2003; Kheirallah et al., 2007; Experimental phase Cordeiro, 2011; Al Shareef & Al-Qurashi, 2016), horse meat (Queiroz & Milward-de-Azevedo, 1991; Aguiar-Coelho & Female flies from the second laboratory generation were Milward-de-Azevedo, 1995; Queiroz, 1996) and rabbits stimulated to oviposit on 60 g of swine muscle. Immediately (Carvalho et al., 2012); and chickens (Richards et al., 2007). after hatching, first-instar larvae were individually transferred There have also been experiments with artificial diets (Estrada with a brush to separate diets of bovine and swine origins. et al., 2009; Ferraz et al., 2011a, 2011b). The frozen bovine and swine tissues used in this study were Pigs have been often used to establish the PMI based on purchased from two supermarket butcher shops from different larval development, because they are considered physiologically slaughterhouses, both meeting the safety standards for human similar to humans (Swindle et al., 1994; Mariano, 2003). consumption. However, not all swine tissues have been extensively Frozen tissue pieces of approximately 500 kg were thawed investigated as larval substrates in the laboratory. Larval for 17 h at room temperature, cut into 2 cm3 cubes and used development times can vary according to the kind of tissue, as according to the following ratio: 40 first-instar larvae/60 g of demonstrated by Beuter and Mendes (2013), who investigated tissue, bovine muscle (control) and swine lung (T1). Three the larval development of C. albiceps on swine fat, brain tissue replicates were used for each treatment, totalling 240 first-instar and meat. larvae. The proportion of diet used followed the ratio as In the course of forensic investigations, larvae collected recommended by Aguiar-Coelho et al. (1995) to rear from cadavers are kept under artificial conditions until the Calliphoridae. emergence of the adults, which are required for precise species The larval diets were packed in 100 mL polystyrene identifications. As larval development rates are important for containers and placed inside 400 mL polystyrene containers forensic entomology estimates, it is important to know how previously lined with sterilised wood shavings. The outer different substrates affect their developmental times. For container was covered with nylon fabric and fastened with example, Clark et al. (2006) observed that larvae of Lucilia elastic. The treatments were kept in a climate-controlled sericata (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) developed faster chamber (biochemical oxygen demand) (Thelga/TF35A) at on swine compared with bovine tissues and on swine lung 28°C day/26°C night, 70 ± 10% RH, and 12 h photophase. compared with swine liver. Observations were conducted every 12 h. When third-instar Here, we evaluate the development of C. albiceps reared on larvae (L3) abandoned their diets, they were grouped in batches swine lung, using bovine muscle as a control, as the latter tissue of five in a Petri dish, and their body mass (in grams) was is commonly used to maintain colonies in the laboratory. The weighed on an analytical digital scale. The larvae were then resulting data can be used in forensic entomology estimates to transferred to tubes containing sterilised wood shavings, which evaluate the duration of post-embryonic development of larval were sealed with nylon and elastic