First report of the forensically important fly, Stearibia nigriceps (Diptera: Piophilidae) in South Korea: Confirmation of specimens from human corpses based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit I barcodes

Abstract

Piophilidae are a relatively small family of Diptera that is frequently associated with cadavers at advanced stages of decomposition and are, therefore, considered potentially useful forensic indicators. However, their use in forensic investigations is typically hampered by a deficiency in reliable identification tools. This is particularly evident in countries such as South Korea, where forensic entomology is still in its infancy and the diversity of forensically relevant insect taxa remains largely undocumented. In the present study, we used cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes to identify samples of piophilid larvae collected during medicolegal investigations performed in South Korea. A total of 174 COI sequences were obtained and have been made publicly available, thus augmenting the reference barcode library for forensically important Piophilidae species. Of the 174 sequenced samples, 172 were identified as Stearibia nigriceps (Meigen), whereas the two remaining samples may represent a previously unsequenced piophilid species. Stearibia nigriceps is recorded from South Korea for the first time, and our results suggest that it might be a particularly relevant forensic indicator in certain case types and scenarios in that country. The findings of this study highlight the utility of COI barcodes for achieving accurate identification of entomological samples, even by non-specialist forensic practitioners. They also contribute to the further development and consolidation of forensic entomology in South Korea and eastern Asia. K E Y W O R D S cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, DNA barcoding, forensic entomology, Piophilidae, Stearibia nigriceps, necrophagous insect, range extension Highlights• COI barcodes were used to identify piophilid larvae collected from human cadavers.• Of the 174 sequenced samples, 172 were identified as Stearibia nigriceps (Meigen).• Two samples may represent a previously unsequenced species.• Both piophilid species are recorded from South Korea for the first time.• Our findings will contribute to the development of forensic entomology in South Korea. | 1539 KIM et al.

Morphological and molecular characterization of puparia of Piophilidae species of forensic relevance

“…was expected. In the case of the lower (91%) BLAST maximum identification value for L. varipes (Table 4), similar issues with the molecular identification of this species have been observed in previous studies (Kim et al, 2021). The shorter length (less than 500 bp) of the available L. varipes sequences in GenBank may explain the lower identification value (Kim et al, 2021).…”

“…In the case of the lower (91%) BLAST maximum identification value for L. varipes (Table 4), similar issues with the molecular identification of this species have been observed in previous studies (Kim et al, 2021). The shorter length (less than 500 bp) of the available L. varipes sequences in GenBank may explain the lower identification value (Kim et al, 2021). Nevertheless, given that L. varipes is widely distributed across the Holarctic region but restricted to high elevations in some areas (Martín‐Vega, 2011), a potential geographical effect cannot be discarded until additional reference sequences are available.…”

Molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of Papaver based on ITS2 barcoding

“…In 2003, the sequence information of a cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene fragment was used to distinguish 11 phyla of vertebrates and invertebrates, except for anorectal Cnidaria [8]. In recent years, multiple studies have demonstrated that the identification of animal species based on COI barcoding is accurate and effective [9][10]. However, due to the slow evolution rate of the mitochondrial genome in plants, COI sequencing cannot be used for plant identification [3].…”