Abstract
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.
Highlights
The most important application of forensic entomology is the estimation of the minimum post-mortem interval (PMImin)
Successful breeding was observed at a constant temperature of 10 °C (CV10) and at fluctuating temperatures of 5–15 °C (CV5–15) and 15–25 °C (CV15–25)
Gene expression profiling is a useful tool for determination the age of C. vicina pupae, which allows conclusions of the PMImin
Summary
The most important application of forensic entomology is the estimation of the minimum post-mortem interval (PMImin). This is based on the age estimation of the juvenile stages of necrophagous insects, which usually colonise the body very soon after death. Blow flies have special significance here, as they are often the first colonisers of a corpse Their age corresponds most closely with the actual time of death and provides the most valuable PMImin [1, 2]. They pass through four developmental stages: egg, larva, pupa and imago [1].
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