Advances in entomological methods for death time estimation
- Villet, Martin H, Amendt, Jens
- Authors: Villet, Martin H , Amendt, Jens
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441722 , vital:73910 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-249-6_11
- Description: The development of entomological methods for estimating the time of death has been rapid in the last decade, and new methods are on the horizon. These developments are reviewed with specific reference to experimental design, established and new techniques, and mathematical modelling for forensic retrodiction. The techniques include the use of electron microscopy, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, and real-time PCR to estimate the age of immature insects found on corpses, based on their stage of development. Near-infrared spectrograph and pteridine fluorescence techniques can be applied to this task on adult insects. The use of ecological succession in the carrion insect community is also introduced briefly. Finally, the creation and uses of standard techniques in forensic entomology is discussed. We recommend that two steps in this standardisation process are that physiological and ecological studies should be reported in physiological time wherever this is appropriate, and that the type of post-mortem interval being estimated should be stipulated more explicitly than is currently common.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Villet, Martin H , Amendt, Jens
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441722 , vital:73910 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-249-6_11
- Description: The development of entomological methods for estimating the time of death has been rapid in the last decade, and new methods are on the horizon. These developments are reviewed with specific reference to experimental design, established and new techniques, and mathematical modelling for forensic retrodiction. The techniques include the use of electron microscopy, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, and real-time PCR to estimate the age of immature insects found on corpses, based on their stage of development. Near-infrared spectrograph and pteridine fluorescence techniques can be applied to this task on adult insects. The use of ecological succession in the carrion insect community is also introduced briefly. Finally, the creation and uses of standard techniques in forensic entomology is discussed. We recommend that two steps in this standardisation process are that physiological and ecological studies should be reported in physiological time wherever this is appropriate, and that the type of post-mortem interval being estimated should be stipulated more explicitly than is currently common.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
African carrion ecosystems and their insect communities in relation to forensic entomology
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442439 , vital:73984 , http://www.globalsciencebooks.info/Online/GSBOnline/OnlinePT_5_1.html
- Description: African carrion communities contain representatives of the same families that occur in carrion communities on other continents. Checklists and identification guides are tabulated, and the natural histories of core members of the terrestrial community are outlined. Because of strong phylogenetic trends in the biology of the families, the species are effectively ecological surrogates of their relatives elsewhere. These phylogenetic trends also allow the definition of a set of guilds of functionally equivalent species that unify the study of carrion communities world-wide, and a revised suite of guilds is described with both synecological and forensic purposes in mind. Although the decomposition process has been arbitrarily subdivided into stages, they have little direct relation to the dynamics of the carrion community, and should be treated as landmarks rather than phases. Community turnover follows a qualitatively predictable succession, with the greatest species richness and diversity around the ecotone-like transition from ‘wet-phase’ to ‘dry-phase’ carrion habitats. These habitats are differentiated along interacting ecological gradients of dietary quality, competition, and risk of predation, which are important to the core guilds. Competition and predation have strong effects on population dynamics of community members, but link particular species only weakly, so that the succession pattern largely reflects the autecology of the individual species. Discrete waves of species are absent, which increases the temporal resolution, and therefore the forensic value, of the succession as a ‘clock’. The forensic significance of various aspects of community and trophic dynamics are discussed, and means of applying ecological theory to investigations are reviewed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442439 , vital:73984 , http://www.globalsciencebooks.info/Online/GSBOnline/OnlinePT_5_1.html
- Description: African carrion communities contain representatives of the same families that occur in carrion communities on other continents. Checklists and identification guides are tabulated, and the natural histories of core members of the terrestrial community are outlined. Because of strong phylogenetic trends in the biology of the families, the species are effectively ecological surrogates of their relatives elsewhere. These phylogenetic trends also allow the definition of a set of guilds of functionally equivalent species that unify the study of carrion communities world-wide, and a revised suite of guilds is described with both synecological and forensic purposes in mind. Although the decomposition process has been arbitrarily subdivided into stages, they have little direct relation to the dynamics of the carrion community, and should be treated as landmarks rather than phases. Community turnover follows a qualitatively predictable succession, with the greatest species richness and diversity around the ecotone-like transition from ‘wet-phase’ to ‘dry-phase’ carrion habitats. These habitats are differentiated along interacting ecological gradients of dietary quality, competition, and risk of predation, which are important to the core guilds. Competition and predation have strong effects on population dynamics of community members, but link particular species only weakly, so that the succession pattern largely reflects the autecology of the individual species. Discrete waves of species are absent, which increases the temporal resolution, and therefore the forensic value, of the succession as a ‘clock’. The forensic significance of various aspects of community and trophic dynamics are discussed, and means of applying ecological theory to investigations are reviewed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Molecular systematics of the African snake family Lamprophiidae Fitzinger, 1843 (Serpentes: Elapoidea), with particular focus on the genera Lamprophis Fitzinger 1843 and Mehelya Csiki 1903
- Kelly, Christopher M R, Branch, William R, Broadley, Donald G, Barker, Nigel P, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Kelly, Christopher M R , Branch, William R , Broadley, Donald G , Barker, Nigel P , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6861 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011151
- Description: The snake family Lamprophiidae Fitzinger (Serpentes: Elapoidea) is a putatively Late Eocene radiation of nocturnal snakes endemic to the African continent. It incorporates many of the most characteristic and prolific of Africa's non-venomous snake species, including the widespread type genus Lamprophis Fitzinger, 1843 (house snakes). We used approximately 2500 bases of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data from 28 (41%) of the approximately 68 recognised lamprophiid species in nine of the eleven genera to investigate phylogenetic structure in the family and to inform taxonomy at the generic level. Cytochrome b, ND4 and tRNA gene sequences (mitochondrial) and c-mos sequences (nuclear) were analysed using Maximum Likelihood, Bayesian Inference and Maximum Parsimony methods. The genus Mehelya Csiki, 1903 was paraphyletic with respect to Gonionotophis Boulenger, 1893. To address this, the concept of Gonionotophis is expanded to include all current Mehelya species. The genus Lamprophis emerged polyphyletic: the enigmatic Lamprophis swazicus was sister to Hormonotus modestus from West Africa, and not closely related to its nominal congeners. It is moved to a new monotypic genus (Inyoka gen. nov.). The remaining Lamprophis species occur in three early-diverging lineages. (1) Lamprophis virgatus and the widely distributed Lamprophis fuliginosus species complex (which also includes Lamprophis lineatus and Lamprophis olivaceus) formed a clade for which the generic name Boaedon Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 is resurrected. (2) The water snakes (Lycodonomorphus) were nested within Lamprophis (sensu lato), sister to Lamprophis inornatus. We transfer this species to the genus Lycodonomorphus Fitzinger, 1843. (3) We restrict Lamprophis (sensu strictissimo) to a small clade of four species endemic to southern Africa: the type species of Lamprophis Fitzinger, 1843 (Lamprophis aurora) plus Lamprophis fiskii, Lamprophis fuscus and Lamprophis guttatus.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Kelly, Christopher M R , Branch, William R , Broadley, Donald G , Barker, Nigel P , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6861 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011151
- Description: The snake family Lamprophiidae Fitzinger (Serpentes: Elapoidea) is a putatively Late Eocene radiation of nocturnal snakes endemic to the African continent. It incorporates many of the most characteristic and prolific of Africa's non-venomous snake species, including the widespread type genus Lamprophis Fitzinger, 1843 (house snakes). We used approximately 2500 bases of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data from 28 (41%) of the approximately 68 recognised lamprophiid species in nine of the eleven genera to investigate phylogenetic structure in the family and to inform taxonomy at the generic level. Cytochrome b, ND4 and tRNA gene sequences (mitochondrial) and c-mos sequences (nuclear) were analysed using Maximum Likelihood, Bayesian Inference and Maximum Parsimony methods. The genus Mehelya Csiki, 1903 was paraphyletic with respect to Gonionotophis Boulenger, 1893. To address this, the concept of Gonionotophis is expanded to include all current Mehelya species. The genus Lamprophis emerged polyphyletic: the enigmatic Lamprophis swazicus was sister to Hormonotus modestus from West Africa, and not closely related to its nominal congeners. It is moved to a new monotypic genus (Inyoka gen. nov.). The remaining Lamprophis species occur in three early-diverging lineages. (1) Lamprophis virgatus and the widely distributed Lamprophis fuliginosus species complex (which also includes Lamprophis lineatus and Lamprophis olivaceus) formed a clade for which the generic name Boaedon Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 is resurrected. (2) The water snakes (Lycodonomorphus) were nested within Lamprophis (sensu lato), sister to Lamprophis inornatus. We transfer this species to the genus Lycodonomorphus Fitzinger, 1843. (3) We restrict Lamprophis (sensu strictissimo) to a small clade of four species endemic to southern Africa: the type species of Lamprophis Fitzinger, 1843 (Lamprophis aurora) plus Lamprophis fiskii, Lamprophis fuscus and Lamprophis guttatus.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Morphology and identification of first instars of African blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) commonly of forensic importance
- Szpila, Krzysztof, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Szpila, Krzysztof , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442225 , vital:73968 , https://doi.org/10.1603/ME10238
- Description: Scanning electron microscopy images of the first instars of Calliphora croceipalpis Jaennicke, 1876; Chrysomya chloropyga (Wiedemann, 1818); Chrysomya marginalis (Wiedemann, 1830); and Chrysomya putoria (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are presented for the first time, and the following morphological structures are documented: pseudocephalon, antenna, maxillary palpus, facial mask, labial lobe, thoracic and abdominal spinulation, spiracular field, posterior spiracles, and anal pads. Light microscopy photographs and line illustrations are provided for the cephaloskeleton in lateral and ventral views, and the “ectostomal sclerite” and “chitinized teeth” of the cephaloskeleton are recognized as integral parts of the mouthhooks. New diagnostic features of the cephaloskeleton and the spinulation of the abdominal segments are described. These results allow refinement, clarification, and correction of earlier descriptions, which are reviewed. The relative taxonomic importance of various morphological characters of the first instars of necrophagous blow flies is discussed, and details of the cephaloskeleton and the spinulation of the abdominal segments are highlighted as the characters most useful for species identification. Finally, a key for identifying first instars of common African carrion blow flies is provided.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Szpila, Krzysztof , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442225 , vital:73968 , https://doi.org/10.1603/ME10238
- Description: Scanning electron microscopy images of the first instars of Calliphora croceipalpis Jaennicke, 1876; Chrysomya chloropyga (Wiedemann, 1818); Chrysomya marginalis (Wiedemann, 1830); and Chrysomya putoria (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are presented for the first time, and the following morphological structures are documented: pseudocephalon, antenna, maxillary palpus, facial mask, labial lobe, thoracic and abdominal spinulation, spiracular field, posterior spiracles, and anal pads. Light microscopy photographs and line illustrations are provided for the cephaloskeleton in lateral and ventral views, and the “ectostomal sclerite” and “chitinized teeth” of the cephaloskeleton are recognized as integral parts of the mouthhooks. New diagnostic features of the cephaloskeleton and the spinulation of the abdominal segments are described. These results allow refinement, clarification, and correction of earlier descriptions, which are reviewed. The relative taxonomic importance of various morphological characters of the first instars of necrophagous blow flies is discussed, and details of the cephaloskeleton and the spinulation of the abdominal segments are highlighted as the characters most useful for species identification. Finally, a key for identifying first instars of common African carrion blow flies is provided.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Using molecules and morphology to infer the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of the Dirini (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae), a tribe of butterflies endemic to Southern Africa
- Price, Benjamin W, Villet, Martin H, Walton, Shaun M, Barker, Nigel P
- Authors: Price, Benjamin W , Villet, Martin H , Walton, Shaun M , Barker, Nigel P
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442397 , vital:73981 , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3113.2010.00560.x
- Description: The first empirically supported phylogenetic hypothesis of relationships for the southern African endemic butterfly tribe Dirini is presented. Data derived from the morphology and ecology of the adults and immature stages (33 characters), and portions of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and the nuclear genes elongation factor 1α (EF1α) and wingless (WG) (totalling 1734 bp) were used to infer the relationships of the in‐group genera. An expanded molecular dataset using four genera from the Nymphalini and Satyrini to root the tree, and three genera from the Melanitini to test the monophyly of the tribe, was analysed using parsimony and Bayesian methods. Estimates of divergence times were calculated using two fossil calibrations under a relaxed molecular clock model. The monophyly of the tribe and each in‐group genus were strongly supported. Key findings are the sister‐taxon relationship of Aeropetes and Tarsocera, the apparent simultaneous or nearly simultaneous radiation of four lineages, the polyphyly of the species within Torynesis, and the apparent trans‐Atlantic dispersal of the ancestors of Manataria about 40 Ma. Estimates of divergence times indicate that the tribe has undergone two major radiations since its origin: the first when they left forest habitats in the mid–late Oligocene, shortly after the radiation of the grasses (Poaceae), and the second in the early‐middle Pliocene, coinciding with the aridification of southern Africa and the spread of conditions that favoured C4 grasses over the C3 grasses that dirine larvae prefer to eat. The high species diversity within the tribe appears to be partly a taxonomic artefact that may have resulted from the misinterpretation of climate-related phenotypic variation within extant species. Relocation and breeding experiments should test this hypothesis.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Price, Benjamin W , Villet, Martin H , Walton, Shaun M , Barker, Nigel P
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442397 , vital:73981 , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3113.2010.00560.x
- Description: The first empirically supported phylogenetic hypothesis of relationships for the southern African endemic butterfly tribe Dirini is presented. Data derived from the morphology and ecology of the adults and immature stages (33 characters), and portions of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and the nuclear genes elongation factor 1α (EF1α) and wingless (WG) (totalling 1734 bp) were used to infer the relationships of the in‐group genera. An expanded molecular dataset using four genera from the Nymphalini and Satyrini to root the tree, and three genera from the Melanitini to test the monophyly of the tribe, was analysed using parsimony and Bayesian methods. Estimates of divergence times were calculated using two fossil calibrations under a relaxed molecular clock model. The monophyly of the tribe and each in‐group genus were strongly supported. Key findings are the sister‐taxon relationship of Aeropetes and Tarsocera, the apparent simultaneous or nearly simultaneous radiation of four lineages, the polyphyly of the species within Torynesis, and the apparent trans‐Atlantic dispersal of the ancestors of Manataria about 40 Ma. Estimates of divergence times indicate that the tribe has undergone two major radiations since its origin: the first when they left forest habitats in the mid–late Oligocene, shortly after the radiation of the grasses (Poaceae), and the second in the early‐middle Pliocene, coinciding with the aridification of southern Africa and the spread of conditions that favoured C4 grasses over the C3 grasses that dirine larvae prefer to eat. The high species diversity within the tribe appears to be partly a taxonomic artefact that may have resulted from the misinterpretation of climate-related phenotypic variation within extant species. Relocation and breeding experiments should test this hypothesis.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
A comparison of two sampling methods for surveying mammalian herbivore impacts on beetle communities in the canopy of Acacia drepanolobium in Kenya
- Kuria, Simon K, Villet, Martin H, Palmer, T M, Stanton, M L
- Authors: Kuria, Simon K , Villet, Martin H , Palmer, T M , Stanton, M L
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6860 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011150
- Description: Even though several methods are used to sample and monitor canopy arthropods, there are no studies to indicate which of these methods is more effective.We compared the efficacy of the beating and canopy fogging methods in collecting beetles that inhabit Acacia drepanolobium (Harms) tree canopies at Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia district, Kenya. These trees grow naturally on the black cotton soils of the Laikipia ecosystem, accounting for more than 98%of the overstorey at the study site, and are important for local cattle and wildlife production. The ultimate objective of this study was to determine the effect of differential grazing and browsing pressure from large mammalian herbivores on the beetle communities of A. drepanolobium. Seven hundred and twenty trees 1.0–2.5 m tall were sampled using each method, making a total of 1440 trees. Sampling using the two methods was done concurrently and repeated quarterly over a period of 14 months. In total, 4320 individuals were collected, 1456 by beating and 2864 by fogging. The methods jointly yielded beetle specimens from 13 families and 55 morphospecies. Fogging collected significantly more beetle morphospecies than beating, and there was a significant interaction effect between method and sampling date. We found that numerically Anthicidae and Curculionidae responded positively to the presence of cattle.We also found that Anthicidae sp. A and Myllocerus sp. A numbers significantly increased in plots where livestock were grazed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Kuria, Simon K , Villet, Martin H , Palmer, T M , Stanton, M L
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6860 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011150
- Description: Even though several methods are used to sample and monitor canopy arthropods, there are no studies to indicate which of these methods is more effective.We compared the efficacy of the beating and canopy fogging methods in collecting beetles that inhabit Acacia drepanolobium (Harms) tree canopies at Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia district, Kenya. These trees grow naturally on the black cotton soils of the Laikipia ecosystem, accounting for more than 98%of the overstorey at the study site, and are important for local cattle and wildlife production. The ultimate objective of this study was to determine the effect of differential grazing and browsing pressure from large mammalian herbivores on the beetle communities of A. drepanolobium. Seven hundred and twenty trees 1.0–2.5 m tall were sampled using each method, making a total of 1440 trees. Sampling using the two methods was done concurrently and repeated quarterly over a period of 14 months. In total, 4320 individuals were collected, 1456 by beating and 2864 by fogging. The methods jointly yielded beetle specimens from 13 families and 55 morphospecies. Fogging collected significantly more beetle morphospecies than beating, and there was a significant interaction effect between method and sampling date. We found that numerically Anthicidae and Curculionidae responded positively to the presence of cattle.We also found that Anthicidae sp. A and Myllocerus sp. A numbers significantly increased in plots where livestock were grazed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
A Landscape of Insects and Other Invertebrates, D.N. MacFadyen: book review
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451583 , vital:75061 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32856
- Description: Despite their generally small sizes, southern African insects consistently attract public attention. Rarely is it positive attention, but when it is, it is often from notable champions. Let me explain.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451583 , vital:75061 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32856
- Description: Despite their generally small sizes, southern African insects consistently attract public attention. Rarely is it positive attention, but when it is, it is often from notable champions. Let me explain.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
A watershed study on genetic diversity phylogenetic analysis of the Platypleura plumosa (Hemiptera Cicadidae) complex reveals catchment-specific lineages
- Price, Benjamin W, Barker, Nigel P, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Price, Benjamin W , Barker, Nigel P , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441711 , vital:73909 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2009.10.011
- Description: Historical biogeography studies have at their disposal a small suite of vicariance models to explain genetic differentiation within and between species. One of these processes involves the role of river catchments and their associated watersheds, in driving diversification and is applicable to both aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Although the idea of catchments structuring the genetic history of aquatic organisms is reasonably well understood, their effect on terrestrial organisms has largely been overlooked, with relevant studies being limited in scope. South Africa presents a perfect test-bed for elucidating this mechanism of diversification due to its rich biodiversity, range of climatic environments and many large river catchments. Here we use the cicadas of the Platypleura plumosa complex to highlight the importance of catchments and their associated watersheds in driving diversification of terrestrial invertebrates that lack an aquatic life-stage. Population structure was found to correspond to primary and in some cases secondary catchments; highlighting the need to include information on catchment structure when formulating hypotheses of population diversification. Recognizing that climate change in the near future is likely to alter the environment, and particularly precipitation patterns, insight into recent patterns of population change related to catchments may be useful in a conservation context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Price, Benjamin W , Barker, Nigel P , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441711 , vital:73909 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2009.10.011
- Description: Historical biogeography studies have at their disposal a small suite of vicariance models to explain genetic differentiation within and between species. One of these processes involves the role of river catchments and their associated watersheds, in driving diversification and is applicable to both aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Although the idea of catchments structuring the genetic history of aquatic organisms is reasonably well understood, their effect on terrestrial organisms has largely been overlooked, with relevant studies being limited in scope. South Africa presents a perfect test-bed for elucidating this mechanism of diversification due to its rich biodiversity, range of climatic environments and many large river catchments. Here we use the cicadas of the Platypleura plumosa complex to highlight the importance of catchments and their associated watersheds in driving diversification of terrestrial invertebrates that lack an aquatic life-stage. Population structure was found to correspond to primary and in some cases secondary catchments; highlighting the need to include information on catchment structure when formulating hypotheses of population diversification. Recognizing that climate change in the near future is likely to alter the environment, and particularly precipitation patterns, insight into recent patterns of population change related to catchments may be useful in a conservation context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
An accidental but safe and effective use of Lucilia cuprina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in maggot debridement therapy in Alexandria, Egypt
- Tantawi, Tarek I, Williams, Kirstin A, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Tantawi, Tarek I , Williams, Kirstin A , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442454 , vital:73986 , https://doi.org/10.1093/jmedent/47.3.491
- Description: The calliphorid fly, Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann), is known to cause serious malign myiasis in animals, whereas its sibling species Lucilia sericata (Meigen) is commonly a carrion breeder and is used in maggot debridement therapy (MDT). The current study reports an accidental involvement of L. cuprina in MDT in Alexandria, Egypt, that has proved to be safe and effective. In November 2008, the laboratory colonies of L. sericata (the species regularly used in MDT) at the Faculty of Science, Alexandria University were renewed by Lucilia flies collected as third instar larvae on exposed rabbit carcasses. Flies from the new colonies were successfully used to heal the diabetic foot wounds of two patients at Alexandria Main University Hospital. Analysis of DNA sequences and adult and larval morphology then revealed that these flies were and still are L. cuprina. Breeding of this species in carrion in Alexandria is a new record. Despite the safety of this strain of L. cuprina in MDT, entomologists rearing blow flies for the purpose of wound debridement should regularly maintain high quality assurance of their species’ identity to avoid possible clinical complications that may result from the introduction of an unexpected and invasive species to their laboratory colonies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Tantawi, Tarek I , Williams, Kirstin A , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442454 , vital:73986 , https://doi.org/10.1093/jmedent/47.3.491
- Description: The calliphorid fly, Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann), is known to cause serious malign myiasis in animals, whereas its sibling species Lucilia sericata (Meigen) is commonly a carrion breeder and is used in maggot debridement therapy (MDT). The current study reports an accidental involvement of L. cuprina in MDT in Alexandria, Egypt, that has proved to be safe and effective. In November 2008, the laboratory colonies of L. sericata (the species regularly used in MDT) at the Faculty of Science, Alexandria University were renewed by Lucilia flies collected as third instar larvae on exposed rabbit carcasses. Flies from the new colonies were successfully used to heal the diabetic foot wounds of two patients at Alexandria Main University Hospital. Analysis of DNA sequences and adult and larval morphology then revealed that these flies were and still are L. cuprina. Breeding of this species in carrion in Alexandria is a new record. Despite the safety of this strain of L. cuprina in MDT, entomologists rearing blow flies for the purpose of wound debridement should regularly maintain high quality assurance of their species’ identity to avoid possible clinical complications that may result from the introduction of an unexpected and invasive species to their laboratory colonies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
Arthropod Fauna of the UAE Vol. 3, A. van Harten (Ed.): book review
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451598 , vital:75062 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32858
- Description: It has been a year since the second volume of the UAE Insect Project's Arthropod Fauna of the United Arab Emirates was published, and several more members of the team of over 160 scientists from 27 countries have visited the UAE. This has provided several of the chapters in the third volume of this series, which contains contributions from 51 taxonomists from 20 countries, including South Africa. Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Tahoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the leadership of the editor, the series is settling down to a very high standard, especially in terms of its lavish illustrations, exquisite production and, of course, taxonomic rigour.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451598 , vital:75062 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32858
- Description: It has been a year since the second volume of the UAE Insect Project's Arthropod Fauna of the United Arab Emirates was published, and several more members of the team of over 160 scientists from 27 countries have visited the UAE. This has provided several of the chapters in the third volume of this series, which contains contributions from 51 taxonomists from 20 countries, including South Africa. Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Tahoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the leadership of the editor, the series is settling down to a very high standard, especially in terms of its lavish illustrations, exquisite production and, of course, taxonomic rigour.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
Contemporary precision, bias and accuracy of minimum post-mortem intervals estimated using development of carrion-feeding insects
- Villet, Martin H, Richards, Cameron S, Midgley, John M
- Authors: Villet, Martin H , Richards, Cameron S , Midgley, John M
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442769 , vital:74032 , ISBN 978-1-4020-9684-6 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9684-6_7
- Description: Medicocriminal forensic entomology focuses primarily on providing evidence of the amount of time that a corpse or carcass has been exposed to colonization by insects, which helps to estimate the post mortem interval (PMI). Specifically, the estimate is of a minimum post mortem interval (PMImin), because death may occur a variable amount of time before colonization (Fig. 7.1); the maximum post mortem interval (PMImax) is estimated using the time that the person was last seen alive. Forensic entomology derives the bulk of its evidence from two sources: the ecological succession of carrion insect communities and the development of immature insects (Byrd and Castner 2001; Catts and Haskel 1990; Smith 1986). This chapter is concerned with assessing the confidence that can be placed in the accuracy of estimates derived from insect development. (Schoenly et al. 1996) dealt with this theme in succession-based estimates of PMImin.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Villet, Martin H , Richards, Cameron S , Midgley, John M
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442769 , vital:74032 , ISBN 978-1-4020-9684-6 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9684-6_7
- Description: Medicocriminal forensic entomology focuses primarily on providing evidence of the amount of time that a corpse or carcass has been exposed to colonization by insects, which helps to estimate the post mortem interval (PMI). Specifically, the estimate is of a minimum post mortem interval (PMImin), because death may occur a variable amount of time before colonization (Fig. 7.1); the maximum post mortem interval (PMImax) is estimated using the time that the person was last seen alive. Forensic entomology derives the bulk of its evidence from two sources: the ecological succession of carrion insect communities and the development of immature insects (Byrd and Castner 2001; Catts and Haskel 1990; Smith 1986). This chapter is concerned with assessing the confidence that can be placed in the accuracy of estimates derived from insect development. (Schoenly et al. 1996) dealt with this theme in succession-based estimates of PMImin.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
Forensic Entomology: The Utility of Arthropods in Legal Investigations. 2nd Edition, J.H. Byrd and J.L. Castner (Eds.): book review
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451705 , vital:75071 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32854
- Description: In the last century, the primary texts on forensic entomology were those by Smith (1986) for reference, and Catts and Haskell (1990) for teaching and training. Between their publication and that of the first edition of Forensic Entomology: The Utility of Arthropods in Legal Investigations (Byrd and Castner 2000), about 16 research papers relevant to forensic entomology appeared each year; since then it has been over 40, and several more books (Greenberg and Kunish 2002; Wyss and Cherix 2006; Gennard 2007; Amendt et al. 2010) have appeared. With so much research accumulating, it was certainly time for an updated edition.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451705 , vital:75071 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32854
- Description: In the last century, the primary texts on forensic entomology were those by Smith (1986) for reference, and Catts and Haskell (1990) for teaching and training. Between their publication and that of the first edition of Forensic Entomology: The Utility of Arthropods in Legal Investigations (Byrd and Castner 2000), about 16 research papers relevant to forensic entomology appeared each year; since then it has been over 40, and several more books (Greenberg and Kunish 2002; Wyss and Cherix 2006; Gennard 2007; Amendt et al. 2010) have appeared. With so much research accumulating, it was certainly time for an updated edition.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
My First Book of Southern African Insects, C. Uys: book review
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451749 , vital:75074 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32855
- Description: I concur with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943): we are born with a strong appreciation of the world around us that most of us lose as we grow up. While few adults have much empathy with insects, they are a source of fascination for most children, at least until they start school. The problem facing professional entomology is how to sustain and encourage that early attitude so that we recruit passionate and well-prepared people into the profession, and sensitise the remainder of the population to the value of insects.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451749 , vital:75074 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32855
- Description: I concur with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943): we are born with a strong appreciation of the world around us that most of us lose as we grow up. While few adults have much empathy with insects, they are a source of fascination for most children, at least until they start school. The problem facing professional entomology is how to sustain and encourage that early attitude so that we recruit passionate and well-prepared people into the profession, and sensitise the remainder of the population to the value of insects.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
The utility of Coleoptera in forensic investigations
- Midgley, John M, Richards, Cameron S, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Midgley, John M , Richards, Cameron S , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442783 , vital:74033 , ISBN 978-1-4020-9684-6 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9684-6_4
- Description: Forensic entomology is a developing field of forensic science, so there are many avenues to investigate. These avenues include novel directions that have never been addressed, as well as more critical and rigorous research into areas which have already been explored. Most research in forensic entomology has focused on flies, and beetles (Coleoptera) have been at best under-emphasized. A good example of this is the review by Smith (1986), where 70 pages are dedicated to Diptera and only 12 to Coleoptera; this situation has changed little in the subsequent 20 years. To contextualize the neglect, throughout the world there are at least as many species of Coleoptera that may visit a particular carcass as Diptera (Braack 1986; Louw and van der Linde 1993; Bourel et al. 1999; Lopes de Carvalho et al. 2000; Pérez et al. 2005; Shea 2005; Watson and Carlton 2005a; Salazar 2006; Martinez et al. 2007). A common assumption underlying the neglect of Coleoptera is that Diptera locate corpses faster, and thus give a more accurate estimate of minimum Post Mortem Interval (PMImin). Recent observations (Midgley and Villet 2009b) have shown that Thanatophilus micans (Silphidae) can locate corpses and start breeding within 24 h of death, and thus the potential utility of estimates based on this species is equal to that of those based on flies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Midgley, John M , Richards, Cameron S , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442783 , vital:74033 , ISBN 978-1-4020-9684-6 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9684-6_4
- Description: Forensic entomology is a developing field of forensic science, so there are many avenues to investigate. These avenues include novel directions that have never been addressed, as well as more critical and rigorous research into areas which have already been explored. Most research in forensic entomology has focused on flies, and beetles (Coleoptera) have been at best under-emphasized. A good example of this is the review by Smith (1986), where 70 pages are dedicated to Diptera and only 12 to Coleoptera; this situation has changed little in the subsequent 20 years. To contextualize the neglect, throughout the world there are at least as many species of Coleoptera that may visit a particular carcass as Diptera (Braack 1986; Louw and van der Linde 1993; Bourel et al. 1999; Lopes de Carvalho et al. 2000; Pérez et al. 2005; Shea 2005; Watson and Carlton 2005a; Salazar 2006; Martinez et al. 2007). A common assumption underlying the neglect of Coleoptera is that Diptera locate corpses faster, and thus give a more accurate estimate of minimum Post Mortem Interval (PMImin). Recent observations (Midgley and Villet 2009b) have shown that Thanatophilus micans (Silphidae) can locate corpses and start breeding within 24 h of death, and thus the potential utility of estimates based on this species is equal to that of those based on flies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, Vol. 2, A. van Harten (Ed.): book review
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451625 , vital:75065 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32810
- Description: This volume extends the UAE's catalogue of arthropods from 1400 species to 1790 species, and describes 83 new species, four new genera and even a new tribe. The chapters include about two arachnid taxa (pseudoscorpions and cunaxid mites), and cover a total of 63 families, 26 of them previously not recorded from the country. Three chapters deal with entomobryomorph springtails, earwigs and barklice, respectively, and the rest are focused on families in the 'megadiverse' orders Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451625 , vital:75065 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32810
- Description: This volume extends the UAE's catalogue of arthropods from 1400 species to 1790 species, and describes 83 new species, four new genera and even a new tribe. The chapters include about two arachnid taxa (pseudoscorpions and cunaxid mites), and cover a total of 63 families, 26 of them previously not recorded from the country. Three chapters deal with entomobryomorph springtails, earwigs and barklice, respectively, and the rest are focused on families in the 'megadiverse' orders Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Data quality in thermal summation development models for forensically important blowflies
- Richards, Cameron S, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Richards, Cameron S , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441889 , vital:73932 , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2009.00819.x
- Description: To highlight some issues regarding data quality that are significant in estimating post‐mortem intervals (PMI) from maggots, the developmental constants of thermal summation models for development of Chrysomya megacephala Fabricius (Diptera: Calliphoridae) were calculated from incidental data gathered from 12 published studies, and from data generated specifically for the purpose in a single experiment. The focused experiment involved measuring the timing of five developmental landmarks at nine constant temperatures with a sampling resolution of 6–12 h, which is characteristic of other published studies. Combining data from different studies produced inconsistent results because of statistical noise introduced by (at least) disparities in temporal precision, descriptive statistics, geographical location and rearing diets. A robust experimental design to estimate a developmental model should involve at least six constant temperatures, starting at about 7°C above the relevant developmental zero (D0) and going almost to the upper critical temperature, and a temporal sampling interval with a relative precision of about 10%, which requires sampling about every 2 h until hatching, about every 3 h until first ecdysis and about every 6 h until second ecdysis.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Richards, Cameron S , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441889 , vital:73932 , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2009.00819.x
- Description: To highlight some issues regarding data quality that are significant in estimating post‐mortem intervals (PMI) from maggots, the developmental constants of thermal summation models for development of Chrysomya megacephala Fabricius (Diptera: Calliphoridae) were calculated from incidental data gathered from 12 published studies, and from data generated specifically for the purpose in a single experiment. The focused experiment involved measuring the timing of five developmental landmarks at nine constant temperatures with a sampling resolution of 6–12 h, which is characteristic of other published studies. Combining data from different studies produced inconsistent results because of statistical noise introduced by (at least) disparities in temporal precision, descriptive statistics, geographical location and rearing diets. A robust experimental design to estimate a developmental model should involve at least six constant temperatures, starting at about 7°C above the relevant developmental zero (D0) and going almost to the upper critical temperature, and a temporal sampling interval with a relative precision of about 10%, which requires sampling about every 2 h until hatching, about every 3 h until first ecdysis and about every 6 h until second ecdysis.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Development of Thanatophilus micans (Fabricius 1794)(Coleoptera: Silphidae) at constant temperatures
- Midgley, John M, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Midgley, John M , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441904 , vital:73933 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-008-0280-0
- Description: Thanatophilus micans is capable of finding corpses at least as quickly as most fly species and, as the most widespread species of the Silphidae in Africa, offers a useful model for estimating post-mortem interval. Larvae were reared at ten constant temperatures from 15°C to 35°C and their length measured at 4, 8, or 12-h intervals depending on their instar. Length generally increased with increased rearing temperature, but decreased at extremely high temperatures. Note was made of the age at which individuals progressed past developmental milestones. Development took longer at lower temperatures. These results are presented as a combined isomegalen and isomorphen diagram. Developmental constants were generated for each milestone using major axis regression. Developmental threshold values did not differ significantly between milestones. Development took longer than in blow flies, but was faster than in Dermestidae. The three models presented here, therefore, cover an important time frame in estimating minimum PMI once fly larvae have matured to the point of leaving a corpse, and, therefore, provide a tool that was not previously available to forensic entomologists.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Development of Thanatophilus micans (Fabricius 1794)(Coleoptera: Silphidae) at constant temperatures
- Authors: Midgley, John M , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441904 , vital:73933 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-008-0280-0
- Description: Thanatophilus micans is capable of finding corpses at least as quickly as most fly species and, as the most widespread species of the Silphidae in Africa, offers a useful model for estimating post-mortem interval. Larvae were reared at ten constant temperatures from 15°C to 35°C and their length measured at 4, 8, or 12-h intervals depending on their instar. Length generally increased with increased rearing temperature, but decreased at extremely high temperatures. Note was made of the age at which individuals progressed past developmental milestones. Development took longer at lower temperatures. These results are presented as a combined isomegalen and isomorphen diagram. Developmental constants were generated for each milestone using major axis regression. Developmental threshold values did not differ significantly between milestones. Development took longer than in blow flies, but was faster than in Dermestidae. The three models presented here, therefore, cover an important time frame in estimating minimum PMI once fly larvae have matured to the point of leaving a corpse, and, therefore, provide a tool that was not previously available to forensic entomologists.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Effect of the killing method on post-mortem change in length of larvae of Thanatophilus micans (Fabricius, 1794) (Coleoptera: Silphidae) stored in 70% ethanol
- Midgley, John M, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Midgley, John M , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6857 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011140
- Description: It is recommended that insect larvae collected for forensic purposes should be killed using the same method as was used to create existing models for rate of development. Certain killing methods have been shown to be preferable because they cause less distortion of the specimens, but these are not always practicable in a particular case, and so a method of correcting for effect of killing method is required. Larvae of all instars of Thanatophilus micans (Fabricius 1794) (Coleoptera: Silphidae) were measured and then killed by immersion in ethanol, immersion in hot water or freezing. Samples were re-measured immediately after death, then stored in excess 70% ethanol and re-measured after 1 week and again after 4 weeks. The change in length was significantly different from zero in all samples (t = -9.07022, p < 0.001). An analysis of covariance showed that instar, killing method and storage time all had a significant effect on the change in length. The results showed that T. micans larvae have a great potential for change in length during storage but that the change is not predictable, as the magnitude and sign of the change are variable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Midgley, John M , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6857 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011140
- Description: It is recommended that insect larvae collected for forensic purposes should be killed using the same method as was used to create existing models for rate of development. Certain killing methods have been shown to be preferable because they cause less distortion of the specimens, but these are not always practicable in a particular case, and so a method of correcting for effect of killing method is required. Larvae of all instars of Thanatophilus micans (Fabricius 1794) (Coleoptera: Silphidae) were measured and then killed by immersion in ethanol, immersion in hot water or freezing. Samples were re-measured immediately after death, then stored in excess 70% ethanol and re-measured after 1 week and again after 4 weeks. The change in length was significantly different from zero in all samples (t = -9.07022, p < 0.001). An analysis of covariance showed that instar, killing method and storage time all had a significant effect on the change in length. The results showed that T. micans larvae have a great potential for change in length during storage but that the change is not predictable, as the magnitude and sign of the change are variable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Flies in the ointment a morphological and molecular comparison of Lucilia cuprina and Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in South Africa
- Tourle, Robyn, Downie, Douglas A, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Tourle, Robyn , Downie, Douglas A , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442156 , vital:73963 , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2008.00765.x
- Description: Complementary nuclear (28S rRNA) and mitochondrial (COI) genes were sequenced from blowflies that phenotypically resembled Lucilia cuprina (W.), Lucilia sericata (Meigen) or exhibited characters of both species. The aim was to test a long‐held hypothesis that these species hybridize under natural conditions in South Africa (Ullyett, 1945). Blowflies were obtained predominantly from the Cape Town metropolitan area, but reference samples were acquired for L. sericata from Pretoria. Several L. cuprina‐like flies were shown to possess a conflicting combination of nuclear and mitochondrial genes that has also been seen in Hawaiian specimens. Homoplasy, sampling of pseudogenes, hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting are discussed as possible hypotheses for the pattern and the latter is concluded to represent the most likely explanation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Tourle, Robyn , Downie, Douglas A , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442156 , vital:73963 , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2008.00765.x
- Description: Complementary nuclear (28S rRNA) and mitochondrial (COI) genes were sequenced from blowflies that phenotypically resembled Lucilia cuprina (W.), Lucilia sericata (Meigen) or exhibited characters of both species. The aim was to test a long‐held hypothesis that these species hybridize under natural conditions in South Africa (Ullyett, 1945). Blowflies were obtained predominantly from the Cape Town metropolitan area, but reference samples were acquired for L. sericata from Pretoria. Several L. cuprina‐like flies were shown to possess a conflicting combination of nuclear and mitochondrial genes that has also been seen in Hawaiian specimens. Homoplasy, sampling of pseudogenes, hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting are discussed as possible hypotheses for the pattern and the latter is concluded to represent the most likely explanation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Models of development for blowfly sister species Chrysomya chloropyga and Chrysomya putoria
- Richards, Cameron S, Crous, Kendall L, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Richards, Cameron S , Crous, Kendall L , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:73967 , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2008.00767.x
- Description: Developmental curves for the sister species Chrysomya chloropyga (Wiedemann, 1818) and Chrysomya putoria (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) were established at eight and 10 different constant temperatures, respectively, using developmental landmarks and body length as measures of age. The thermal summation constants (K) and developmental threshold (D0) were calculated for five developmental landmarks using a previously described method. Isomorphen and isomegalen diagrams were also constructed for the purpose of estimating postmortem intervals (PMIs). Chrysomya chloropyga had an average developmental threshold value (D0) of 10.91 °C (standard error [SE] = 0.94 °C, n = 5), significantly lower than that of C. putoria (13.42 °C, SE = 0.45 °C, n = 5) (paired t‐test: t = − 4.63, d.f. = 8, P 0.00). Similarly, K values for C. chloropyga were larger than those for C. putoria for all developmental events except onset of the wandering phase. These are the first data that can be used to calculate minimum PMIs and predict population growth of C. chloropyga and C. putoria in Africa; the data indicate that developmental data for one of these species cannot be used as surrogate data for the sister species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Richards, Cameron S , Crous, Kendall L , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:73967 , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2008.00767.x
- Description: Developmental curves for the sister species Chrysomya chloropyga (Wiedemann, 1818) and Chrysomya putoria (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) were established at eight and 10 different constant temperatures, respectively, using developmental landmarks and body length as measures of age. The thermal summation constants (K) and developmental threshold (D0) were calculated for five developmental landmarks using a previously described method. Isomorphen and isomegalen diagrams were also constructed for the purpose of estimating postmortem intervals (PMIs). Chrysomya chloropyga had an average developmental threshold value (D0) of 10.91 °C (standard error [SE] = 0.94 °C, n = 5), significantly lower than that of C. putoria (13.42 °C, SE = 0.45 °C, n = 5) (paired t‐test: t = − 4.63, d.f. = 8, P 0.00). Similarly, K values for C. chloropyga were larger than those for C. putoria for all developmental events except onset of the wandering phase. These are the first data that can be used to calculate minimum PMIs and predict population growth of C. chloropyga and C. putoria in Africa; the data indicate that developmental data for one of these species cannot be used as surrogate data for the sister species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009