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| Chrysomya rufifacies (Photo: CSIRO) |
New research for determining the age of Chrysomya rufifacies.
Forensic entomology is an important resource
for the estimation of the PMImin (minimum post-mortem interval) when
a body is found at a crime scene. However, this is not a straightforward procedure.
Several abiotic and biotic factors (such as temperature, humidity, and diet)
affect the development of insects and therefore need to be accounted to increase
the accuracy of the PMImin estimations.
Some approaches to increase the accuracy of PMImin
have included insect's morphology, gene expression and chemical profile
analysis. Now, a group of researchers is using cuticular hydrocarbon analysis
to assess if a distinction can be made between the larval stages of C. rufifacies. They believe in the
potential of cuticular hydrocarbons as a promising tool for aging fly larvae since
cuticular hydrocarbon profile differs according to age, species and sex of
insects. Also, cuticular hydrocarbon analysis has proved itself as an
inexpensive and rapid practice.
Their research suggests that chemical cues can
reveal the larval stage of C. rufifacies. So far, this technique has shown great
potential to be used and developed into an important aging tool, which could be
utilized in the field of forensic entomology to calculate PMImin.
Further research is required to determine the potential and validity of
hydrocarbons throughout all the stages of C. rufifacies (egg, larvae, pupae,
and adult). Also, current data were obtained under standard laboratory
conditions using a single species. Further work needs to be done to examine the
hydrocarbon composition and its stability under natural conditions in the
field.
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