Biomaterial Database

Pupal age estimation of forensically important Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Diptera: Phoridae). 2014

Dian-Xing Feng, and Guang-Chun Liu

Liaoning Key Laboratory of Urban Integrated Pest Management and Ecological Security, Shenyang University, Shenyang 110044, China.

In addition to causing myiasis in humans and animals, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) has been reported as a forensically important fly. The determination of a minimum postmortem interval (PMI) often relies on the determination of the age of the larvae and pupae. The pupal stage represents about 50% of the immature development time and the pupal age may therefore serve as an important tool in entomological minimum PMI estimation. The present study focuses on the key developmental processes during metamorphosis of M. scalaris pupae at different constant temperatures (18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33 and 36°C). The average minimum duration of development from prepupa to adult emergence was inversely related to temperature, ranging from 170.65 ± 1.39 h at 33°C to 608.80 ± 13.26 h at 18°C. The pupa did not develop at 36°C. Some morphological features that changed during development within the puparium could be used as age markers. According to these changes, the pupal stage of M. scalaris was divided into 10 stages which could be used for both sexes.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008675	Metamorphosis, Biological	Profound physical changes during maturation of living organisms from the immature forms to the adult forms, such as from TADPOLES to frogs; caterpillars to BUTTERFLIES.	Biological Metamorphosis,Biological Metamorphoses,Metamorphoses, Biological
D011679	Pupa	An inactive stage between the larval and adult stages in the life cycle of INSECTA.	Chrysalis,Pupae
D004175	Diptera	An order of the class Insecta. Wings, when present, number two and distinguish Diptera from other so-called flies, while the halteres, or reduced hindwings, separate Diptera from other insects with one pair of wings. The order includes the families Calliphoridae, Oestridae, Phoridae, SARCOPHAGIDAE, Scatophagidae, Sciaridae, SIMULIIDAE, Tabanidae, Therevidae, Trypetidae, CERATOPOGONIDAE; CHIRONOMIDAE; CULICIDAE; DROSOPHILIDAE; GLOSSINIDAE; MUSCIDAE; TEPHRITIDAE; and PSYCHODIDAE. The larval form of Diptera species are called maggots (see LARVA).	Flies, True,Flies,Dipteras,Fly,Fly, True,True Flies,True Fly
D005260	Female		Females
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013696	Temperature	The property of objects that determines the direction of heat flow when they are placed in direct thermal contact. The temperature is the energy of microscopic motions (vibrational and translational) of the particles of atoms.	Temperatures
D013997	Time Factors	Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations.	Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor