Abstract
ABSTRACTCarrion insects, specifically blow flies of the family Calliphoridae, are of use in forensic entomology because determination of maggot age on a body can be used to accurately estimate time-since-death or post-mortem interval. The accuracy of such predictions requires a good knowledge of the biology of the species indigenous to the geographic area. Factors such as season, geographic location, climate and local fly population densities will determine what species will colonize dead bodies in an area. In Canada, these data are available for only a few regions. The purpose of this work was to record the species composition of insects colonizing pig carcasses from September to November in Nova Scotia. Species in the genus Calliphora were the most commonly encountered. Adults of a Dryomyza sp. (Dryomyzidae) were also common on the carcasses but were not reared from maggot samples collected from the pigs. Other carrion insects such as burying beetles (Silphidae) were also collected.
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