Forensic entomology is an important field of forensic science that utilizes insect evidence in criminal investigations. Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are among the first colonizers of remains and are frequently used in determining the minimum postmortem interval (mPMI). Blow fly development is influenced by a variety of factors including temperature and feeding substrate. Unfortunately, dietary fat content remains an understudied factor in the development process, which is problematic given the high rates of obesity in the United States. To study the effects of fat content on blow flies we investigated survivorship, adult weight, and development time (overall and by sex) of Lucilia sericata (Meigen) and Phormia regina (Meigen) on ground beef with 10%, 20%, or 27% fat. As fat content increased, survivorship decreased across both species with significant impact to P. regina. While P. regina adults were generally larger than L. sericata across all fat levels, only L. sericata demonstrated a significant (P < 0.05) difference in weight by sex. Overall development times did not vary by fat content, excluding 27% for P. regina. Additionally, development times did not vary by sex for P. regina but did differ (P < 0.05) for L. sericata with females taking longer to develop. These findings provide insight into the effect of fat content on blow fly development, a factor that should be considered when estimating an mPMI. By understanding how fat levels affect the survivorship and development of the species studied here, we can begin improving the practice of insect evidence analysis in casework.

An extensive literature search pertaining to forensic entomology research was conducted for the southwestern portion of the United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas), encompassing literature from 1879 through June 2020. While the majority of states (Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma) had high numbers of topic specific papers (screwworm, development, and American burying beetle, respectively), the main paper topics for this region were arrival/decomposition studies, biodiversity, and myiasis. With 106 papers, Texas's forensic entomology literature output was higher than the three remaining states combined. This review supports the need for developmental studies of forensically relevant insects. This article is categorized under: Forensic Anthropology > Time Since Death Estimation Crime Scene Investigation > Crime Scene Examination Forensic Biology > Forensic Entomology

A comprehensive review of forensic entomology literature in the northeastern portion of the United States was conducted searching the earliest possible publication date through early 2020. Thirteen states and the capital were included in this region and yielded 172 publications. As a region, the main areas of the publications were arrival and decomposition, myiasis, and papers yielding information pertaining to biodiversity. However, there was a large fluctuation in total publications by state with Maryland producing over 30 publications, and Delaware and Vermont each producing one. Within this region only 15 publications from seven states were found concerning development, showing a severe deficiency in this category. Additional work is needed in this geographic area of the United States in most categories of work related to forensic entomology research. This article is categorized under: Forensic Biology > Interpretation of Biological Evidence Forensic Anthropology > Time Since Death Estimation Crime Scene Investigation > Crime Scene Examination