Description of Immature Stages and Development Time of Paralucilia paraensis (Mello) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Associated with the Decomposition of a Partially Submerged Swine Carcass

Abstract

We report on the bionomics and morphology of the immature stages of Paralucilia paraensis (Mello) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Observations were made on a daily basis for 10h (from 8a.m. to 6p.m.) on a 45-kg pig (Sus scrofa) whose carcass had been partially submerged in a stream of water on the 21st of November 2009, in a forested area of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. The collected specimens were placed in plastic vials and transferred to a growth chamber maintained at room temperature. Adults of P. paraensis were collected on the carcass between the 3rd and the 18th days. A total of 13 gravid females were captured; from these, 1,240 eggs were obtained and yielded 1,030 larvae that developed into 879 adults. The average time required for hatching was 13h. On average, the larvae reached the second instar within 13h, third instar within 18h, and pupae within 46h. The pupal stage lasted 96h. The complete development time was 216h. This is the first report on the development time and morphology of immature stages of P. paraensis in forested areas. Therefore, these results provided information for the implementation of future forensic studies in the state of Amazonas.