Abstract
Simple SummaryThis study provides a detailed growth data for Lucilia sericata (Meigen) collected in South Korea. With the growth data, authors compared different minimum ADH models and found little differences. However, the logalithmic model was the best fit among differenct models.Development of forensically important Lucilia sericata (Meigen) was analyzed in South Korea. Rearing was replicated five times at seven constant temperatures between 20–35 °C to elucidate changes in accumulated degree hours, based on developmental stage and body length, and 2673 individuals were statistically analyzed. The results indicated that the optimum temperature, the base temperature, and the overall thermal constant were 22.31 °C (±1.21 °C, 95% CI), 9.07 °C, and 232.81 ± 23 (mean ± SD) accumulated degree days, respectively. In the minimum ADH models of each development stage, nonlinear regression graphs were parallel at the immature stages. Based on the scatter plot (n = 973) of immature stages using ADH values and body length, the logarithmic model using Log10ADH as the dependent variable was identified as the best fitting regression model. Additionally, the adjusted R2 value and mean square of error were 0.911 and 0.007, respectively. This is the first forensically focused study on the development of L. sericata for the estimation of minimum postmortem interval in South Korea. In future studies, we intend to study the development of other necrophagous fly species and to identify parameters for the determination of age at post-feeding and pupal stages.
Highlights
In medico-legal entomology, insects are used as scientific evidence to solve cases related to the time since death (TSD), entomotoxicology, abuse, and neglect, etc
Considering these dependent relationships, the values of accumulated degree hours or days (ADH or ADD, respectively) for specific developmental stages and the base temperature should be predetermined by setting constant temperatures in rearing experiments [5,6,7]
Values for the minimum mean development time were significantly different among the developmental stages (F = 53.8; df = 5; p ≤ 0.05) and temperatures (F = 3.6; df = 6; p ≤ 0.05)
Summary
In medico-legal entomology, insects are used as scientific evidence to solve cases related to the time since death (TSD), entomotoxicology, abuse, and neglect, etc This field focuses primarily on the time at which insect eggs (or larva in Sarcophagidae) are laid on the body after death to estimate the minimum postmortem interval (PMI-min) [1]. Base temperature varies from species to species and can vary with geographic location [5] Considering these dependent relationships, the values of accumulated degree hours or days (ADH or ADD, respectively) for specific developmental stages (while estimating the age of forensically important insects) and the base temperature should be predetermined by setting constant temperatures in rearing experiments [5,6,7]
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