Calliphora vicina larvae grow at different rates on different body tissues.

Authors: Kaneshrajah, Gajen¹; Turner, Bryan²

Source: International Journal of Legal Medicine, Volume 118, Number 4, August 2004 , pp. 242-244(3)

Publisher: Springer

Buy & download fulltext article:

Price: $47.00 plus tax (Refund Policy)

Abstract:

Compared with the rate on pig's liver, larval growth of the blowfly, Calliphora vicina is significantly faster by as much as 2 days on lung, kidney, heart or brain tissue. Potentially this has major implications when laboratory growth rates of larvae fed on one food substrate (often liver) are used to calculate the amount of development, and therefore the postmortem interval in a forensic case.

Keywords: Development rates; Postmortem interval; Forensic entomology

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00414-004-0444-5

Affiliations: 1: Department of Life Sciences & Forensic Science Unit, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building 150 Stamford St., London , SE1 9NN, UK, 2: Department of Life Sciences & Forensic Science Unit, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building 150 Stamford St., London , SE1 9NN, UK, Email: bryan.turner@kcl.ac.uk

Publication date: 2004-08-01