J Med Entomol. 2014 May;51(3):702-8. doi: 10.1603/me13149.
As the most common primary colonizer of carrion, adult blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) play an important role in initiating arthropod-mediated breakdown of soft tissue; however, their timing is highly variable. This variability complicates the estimation of precolonization intervals or periods of insect activity by forensic entomologists. In this study, the size of the adult blow fly on swine carcasses was compared with various environmental conditions including time of day, temperature, wind speed, and light levels. Four trials were conducted: two in August and September 2008, one in January 2009, and one in February-March 2010. Of the measured variables, time of day was the only consistent factor explaining the population size of blow fly on a carcass, although precipitation and high winds affected winter-active Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy. Male flies were also collected, suggesting that carcasses may play additional roles in adult blow fly ecology beyond that of a simple oviposition site. For both sexes of flies, a strong diel pattern of behavior emerged, which could be useful in estimating precolonization intervals by considering the environmental conditions at a scene, and thus forensic entomologists may be better able to estimate the likelihood of adult activity at a carcass.
作为尸体的最常见的初级殖民者，成年丽蝇（双翅目：丽蝇科）在启动节肢动物介导的软组织分解方面起着重要作用；然而，它们的时间变化非常大。这种可变性使法医昆虫学家在估算预殖民间隔或昆虫活动期变得复杂。在这项研究中，将猪尸体上的成年丽蝇的大小与包括一天中的时间、温度、风速和光照水平在内的各种环境条件进行了比较。进行了四项试验：2008 年 8 月和 9 月进行了两次，2009 年 1 月进行了一次，2010 年 2 月至 3 月进行了一次。在所测量的变量中，尽管降水和大风会影响冬季活动的丽蝇，但一天中的时间是唯一能解释尸体上丽蝇种群大小的一致因素。还收集了雄性苍蝇，这表明尸体可能在丽蝇生态学中除了作为简单的产卵地之外还具有其他作用。对于雌雄苍蝇，都出现了强烈的昼夜行为模式，这在考虑现场环境条件时可以用于估算预殖民间隔，因此法医昆虫学家可能能够更好地估计尸体上成年活动的可能性。
