The common green bottle fly is a common visitor to carrion, feces, and garbage. Like many of the other blow flies, it plays an important role in forensic, medical and veterinary science. Larvae or maggots help forensic scientists to determine the period of insect colonization as it relates to the time of death, aiding law enforcement in their investigations. Medical treatment using maggot therapy can help to heal infections that are otherwise incurable. Learn more in this 5-page fact sheet written by Matthew Anderson and Phillip E. Kaufman, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, October 2011.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in903
Tag: Insects of Forensic Importance
A Flesh Fly Sarcophaga crassipalpis Macquart (Insecta: Diptera: Sarcophagidae) (EENY503/IN905)
Sarcophaga crassipalpis is commonly used in laboratories to study gene expression, diapause processes, and physiological processes. It also has a significant impact in other areas of science including parasitology and forensic entomology. This 6-page fact sheet was written by Lazaro A. Diaz and Phillip E. Kaufman, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, October 2011.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in905
Red-tailed Flesh Fly, Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis (Fallén) (Insecta: Diptera: Sarcophagidae) (EENY495/IN896)
Another insect important to forensic investigations, red-tailed flesh fly larvae invade carcasses that are in the early to advanced stages of decomposition, often arriving as early as blow flies. Learn more in this 4-page fact sheet written by Angelique Showman and C. Roxanne Connelly and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, August 2011.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in896
EENY480/IN866 Black larder beetle, incinerator beetle, Dermestes ater DeGeer (Insecta: Coleoptera: Dermestidae)
EENY480, a 6-page illustrated fact sheet by Nurmastini S. Bujang and Phillip E. Kaufman, is part of the Featured Creatures collection. It describes this cosmopolitan species that feeds on various plant and animal products, as well as dead insects and carrion — synonymy, distribution, description, life cycle, economic importance, veterinary importance, forensic importance, and management. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, August 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in866
EENY468/IN843 Cheese (or Ham) Skipper, Piophila casei (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Diptera: Piophilidae)
EENY468, a 5-page illustrated fact sheet by Caitlin Lewis and Phillip E. Kaufman, is part of the Featured Creatures collection. It describes these detritivorous flies who are commonly the cause of enteric myiasis in humans and are also useful in determining the “time since death” in forensic investigations — synonymy, distribution and habitat, description, life cycle, medical importance, economic importance and management. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, January 2010.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in843
EENY466/IN836 Hide beetle Dermestes maculatus DeGeer
EENY466, a 5-page illustrated fact sheet by Brianna Shaver and Phillip Kaufman, is part of the Featured Creatures collection. It describes this beetle that feeds on carrion and dry animal products, and has forensic significance in helping to estimate the post mortem interval in suicide or homicide cases — synonymy, distribution, description, life cycle and biology, forensic importance, and economic importance. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, November 2009.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN836