Cuticular Hydrocarbon Composition in Pupal Exuviae for Taxonomic Differentiation of Six Necrophagous Flies

Authors: Ye, Gongyin; Li, Kai; Zhu, Jiaying; Zhu, Guanghui; Hu, Cui

Source: Journal of Medical Entomology, Volume 44, Number 3, May 2007 , pp. 450-456(7)

Publisher: Entomological Society of America

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Abstract:

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to analyze the cuticular hydrocarbons extracted from the pupal exuviae of six necrophagous flies: Aldrichina grahami (Aldrich), Chrysomya megacephala (F.), Lucilia sericata (Meigen), Achoetandrus rufifacies (Macquart), Boettcherisca peregrina (Robineau-Desvoidy), and Parasarcophaga crassipalpis (Macquart). A discriminant model including the variables of peak 1 (tricosane), peak 7 (9-,11-,13-methyl-pentacosane), peak 21 (11,12-;9,13-dimethyl-hexacosane), peak 24 (octocosane), peak 41 (7,11-dimethyl-nonacosane), peak 42 (3-methyl-nonacosane), peak 46 (2-methyl-hentriacontane), and peak 51 (unknown) was constructed, which allowed a complete separation of the pupal exuviae of the six species. These results indicate that cuticular hydrocarbons as chemotaxonomic characters for insects of forensic importance are of high value and feasibility.

Keywords: forensic entomology; necrophagous fly; cuticular hydrocarbon; pupal exuviae; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Document Type: Research article

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