A forensic toolkit for the "cheese skipper": larval identification and thermal requirements of the immature stages of "Piophila casei" (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae)

The ‘cheese skipper’, Piophila casei (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae), is a cosmopolitan and synanthropic species that frequently colonises cadavers in advanced stages of decomposition. Despite its potential as a forensic indicator, the use of P. casei in casework is hampered by (i) some contradictory de...

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Autores: Martín Vega, Daniel|||0000-0002-5626-5441, Beringola, María Luisa, Pedreño, Aarón
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Alcalá (UAH)
Repositorio:e_Buah Biblioteca Digital Universidad de Alcalá
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ebuah.uah.es:10017/65698
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/10017/65698
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112559
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Forensic entomology
Insect development
Intra-puparial period
Larval morphology
PMI estimation
Post-mortem interval
Biología
Biology
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spelling A forensic toolkit for the "cheese skipper": larval identification and thermal requirements of the immature stages of "Piophila casei" (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae)Martín Vega, Daniel|||0000-0002-5626-5441Beringola, María LuisaPedreño, AarónForensic entomologyInsect developmentIntra-puparial periodLarval morphologyPMI estimationPost-mortem intervalBiologíaBiologyThe ‘cheese skipper’, Piophila casei (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae), is a cosmopolitan and synanthropic species that frequently colonises cadavers in advanced stages of decomposition. Despite its potential as a forensic indicator, the use of P. casei in casework is hampered by (i) some contradictory descriptions of its larval morphology, which limit the reliability of the identification of specimens collected at the forensic scene, and (ii) the lack of reference data and temperature-dependent models, which hinders the accuracy of minimum postmortem interval (minPMI) estimates based on the developmental rates of this species. Here we determine and illustrate a series of diagnostic morphological characters that allow for the unequivocal identification of P. casei larval specimens. The shape and degree of sclerotization of the larval cephalopharyngeal skeleton and the number and arrangement of the rows of spines of the ventral creeping welts are particularly useful allowing not only for species identification, but also for larval instar determination. In addition, we analyse the influence of temperature on the development of the different immature stages of P. casei, providing an isomorphen diagram and determining the thermal requirements (lower developmental threshold and thermal summation constant) for five developmental events, enabling accurate minPMI estimates in forensic casework. In addition, within the intra-puparial period, we determine a series of age-specific morphological markers that are easily observable through the translucent puparium of P. casei, thus increasing the accuracy of minPMI estimates and avoiding the potential risk of sample damaging during puparium dissection when using puparial samples.Instituto Universitario de Investigacion en Ciencias Policiales20252025-01-01journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501NAhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_be7fb7dd8ff6fe43info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10017/65698https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112559reponame:e_Buah Biblioteca Digital Universidad de Alcaláinstname:Universidad de Alcalá (UAH)InglésengIUICP Not available IUICP-2023%2F05 Influencia de los factores abióticos en el desarrollo de dípteros de interés forenseopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:ebuah.uah.es:10017/656982026-06-18T11:13:07Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv A forensic toolkit for the "cheese skipper": larval identification and thermal requirements of the immature stages of "Piophila casei" (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae)
title A forensic toolkit for the "cheese skipper": larval identification and thermal requirements of the immature stages of "Piophila casei" (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae)
spellingShingle A forensic toolkit for the "cheese skipper": larval identification and thermal requirements of the immature stages of "Piophila casei" (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae)
Martín Vega, Daniel|||0000-0002-5626-5441
Forensic entomology
Insect development
Intra-puparial period
Larval morphology
PMI estimation
Post-mortem interval
Biología
Biology
title_short A forensic toolkit for the "cheese skipper": larval identification and thermal requirements of the immature stages of "Piophila casei" (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae)
title_full A forensic toolkit for the "cheese skipper": larval identification and thermal requirements of the immature stages of "Piophila casei" (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae)
title_fullStr A forensic toolkit for the "cheese skipper": larval identification and thermal requirements of the immature stages of "Piophila casei" (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae)
title_full_unstemmed A forensic toolkit for the "cheese skipper": larval identification and thermal requirements of the immature stages of "Piophila casei" (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae)
title_sort A forensic toolkit for the "cheese skipper": larval identification and thermal requirements of the immature stages of "Piophila casei" (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae)
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Martín Vega, Daniel|||0000-0002-5626-5441
Beringola, María Luisa
Pedreño, Aarón
author Martín Vega, Daniel|||0000-0002-5626-5441
author_facet Martín Vega, Daniel|||0000-0002-5626-5441
Beringola, María Luisa
Pedreño, Aarón
author_role author
author2 Beringola, María Luisa
Pedreño, Aarón
author2_role author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Forensic entomology
Insect development
Intra-puparial period
Larval morphology
PMI estimation
Post-mortem interval
Biología
Biology
topic Forensic entomology
Insect development
Intra-puparial period
Larval morphology
PMI estimation
Post-mortem interval
Biología
Biology
description The ‘cheese skipper’, Piophila casei (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae), is a cosmopolitan and synanthropic species that frequently colonises cadavers in advanced stages of decomposition. Despite its potential as a forensic indicator, the use of P. casei in casework is hampered by (i) some contradictory descriptions of its larval morphology, which limit the reliability of the identification of specimens collected at the forensic scene, and (ii) the lack of reference data and temperature-dependent models, which hinders the accuracy of minimum postmortem interval (minPMI) estimates based on the developmental rates of this species. Here we determine and illustrate a series of diagnostic morphological characters that allow for the unequivocal identification of P. casei larval specimens. The shape and degree of sclerotization of the larval cephalopharyngeal skeleton and the number and arrangement of the rows of spines of the ventral creeping welts are particularly useful allowing not only for species identification, but also for larval instar determination. In addition, we analyse the influence of temperature on the development of the different immature stages of P. casei, providing an isomorphen diagram and determining the thermal requirements (lower developmental threshold and thermal summation constant) for five developmental events, enabling accurate minPMI estimates in forensic casework. In addition, within the intra-puparial period, we determine a series of age-specific morphological markers that are easily observable through the translucent puparium of P. casei, thus increasing the accuracy of minPMI estimates and avoiding the potential risk of sample damaging during puparium dissection when using puparial samples.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
2025-01-01
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv journal article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
NA
http://purl.org/coar/version/c_be7fb7dd8ff6fe43
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10017/65698
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112559
url http://hdl.handle.net/10017/65698
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112559
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv IUICP Not available IUICP-2023%2F05 Influencia de los factores abióticos en el desarrollo de dípteros de interés forense
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:e_Buah Biblioteca Digital Universidad de Alcalá
instname:Universidad de Alcalá (UAH)
instname_str Universidad de Alcalá (UAH)
reponame_str e_Buah Biblioteca Digital Universidad de Alcalá
collection e_Buah Biblioteca Digital Universidad de Alcalá
repository.name.fl_str_mv
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