Cuticular Hydrocarbon Analysis in Forensic Entomology: A Review

Abstract

Blowflies are the first inhabitants of decomposing remains and are therefore of forensic relevance for post mortem interval estimations. Forensic entomology is becoming widely accepted as a branch of forensic science and is being utilized more within forensic casework. This wider use has driven an increase in research being carried out within the field, in particular, in less "classical" techniques such as DNA and chemical analysis in the form of cuticular hydrocarbon analysis. This short review will examine the research currently being studied in the area of cuticular hydrocarbon analysis of forensically important Diptera for species identification and ageing.

Geographical Variation of Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profiles of Adult Flies and Empty Puparia Amongst Three Populations of Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

“…Accurate species identification is important for estimating a minPMI, as the duration of the life cycle and the ageing process varies by species (Moore et al, 2013;Paula et al, 2017). For an 3 accurate calculation, reference growth data obtained in the laboratory are used for the respective species (Moore and Shemilt, 2018). However, a potential source of error in determining minPMI is ignoring the fact that data from the laboratory may not reflect the developmental adaptions of the local population of interest.…”