Abstract
Species identification is a crucial step in forensic entomology. In several cases the calculation of the larval age allows the estimation of the minimum Post-Mortem Interval (mPMI). A correct identification of the species is the first step for a correct mPMI estimation. To overcome the difficulties due to the morphological identification especially of the immature stages, a molecular approach can be applied. However, difficulties in separation of closely related species are still an unsolved problem. Sequences of 4 different genes (COI, ND5, EF-1α, PER) of 13 different fly species collected during forensic experiments (Calliphora vicina, Calliphora vomitoria, Lucilia sericata, Lucilia illustris, Lucilia caesar, Chrysomya albiceps, Phormia regina, Cynomya mortuorum, Sarcophaga sp., Hydrotaea sp., Fannia scalaris, Piophila sp., Megaselia scalaris) were evaluated for their capability to identify correctly the species. Three concatenated sequences were obtained combining the four genes in order to verify if longer sequences increase the probability of a correct identification. The obtained results showed that this rule does not work for the species L. caesar and L. illustris. Future works on other DNA regions are suggested to solve this taxonomic issue.
Highlights
Species identification is a crucial step in forensic entomology
The analysed specimens belonged to fourteen species, with Calliphora vicina RobineauDesvoidy, 1830 and Lucilia sericata (Meigen, 1826) (Diptera, Calliphoridae) as the most abundant taxa representing 29.8 and 27.4% respectively
Zehner et al (2004) McDonagh, García & Stevens (2009) This paper was compared with the morphological identification obtaining a percentage value match of 87.5% for c oxidase subunit I (COI), 72.5% for ND5, 77.1% for EF-1α and 67.9% for PER
Summary
The calculation of the age of the insects collected from a cadaver or a crime scene allows the estimation of the time of oviposition that, except in case of myiasis, can be considered as the minimum Post-Mortem Interval (mPMI) (Erzinclioglu, 1983; Marchenko, 1982; Smith, 1986; Amendt et al, 2007; Vanin et al, 2017). This method is precise when insects of the first colonization wave—mainly Diptera in the family Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae and Muscidae—are considered. In the last twenty years, to overcome this limit, several authors have suggested a DNA-based identification method which is frequently
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