Occurrence of necrophagous flies of forensic importance in medico-legal cases in Tamil Nadu State, India

Abstract

Background The present study is based on the necrophagous fly samples collected from 24 medico-legal cases between the year 2011 and 2018 in Tamil Nadu State, India. The fly life stages were identified based on morphological features. Pre-autopsy condition of the human corpse colonized by necrophagous flies and indoor/outdoor occurrence of the flies were recorded. Results Chrysomya megacephala, Chrysomya rufifacies, Sarcophaga spp, and Musca domestica life stages were collected from the human corpses. Chrysomya megacephala was the most prevalent (70.8%) insects of forensic importance and found both in indoor and outdoor environments. Drowned and burnt human corpses were found to be only colonized by C. megacephala. Chrysomya rufifacies was found only in outdoor environments and Sarcophaga spp was found only in indoor environment. There was a fair agreement between the percentage occurrence of necrophagous flies in human corpse in the present study in Tamil Nadu State and percentage historical occurrence of necrophagous flies in human corpse in India. Conclusions Chrysomya megacephala was the predominant blowfly species found to colonize corpses in Tamil Nadu State, India. Chrysomya megacephala was the only blowfly species found to colonize both burnt and floating corpses and corpses located indoor and outdoor.

Successional pattern of necrophagous diptera on a dead Asiatic jackal’s (Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758) body in Veerangana durgawati Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh, India

“…Larva was in their 2 nd instar stage. Calliphoridae is the taxa with the highest evidence in forensic entomology amongst dipterans of medico-legal value and wildlife crimes (Radhakrishnan et al, 2012;Singh et al, 2012;Chakraborty et al, 2016;Hore et al, 2017;Babu et al, 2022;Palavesam et al, 2022). In addition, even in cases of myiasis, several other species have been documented as principal colonizers of human bodies and other animals (Singh et al, 2004;Bhagat, 2016;Sharif & Qamar, 2021).…”

“…The natural instinct of necrophagous flies is to colonize the body or cadaver for living and reproducing (Palavesam et al, 2022). The common necrophagous flies are classified as follows: Diptera, which includes the Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Sarcophagidae, Phoridae, Stratiomyidae, Sepsidae etc.…”

“…The common necrophagous flies are classified as follows: Diptera, which includes the Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Sarcophagidae, Phoridae, Stratiomyidae, Sepsidae etc. families, are well-known as forensically significant flies (Anderson and VanLaerhoven, 1996;Villet, 2010;Sharif and Qamar, 2021;Kar et al, 2022;Palavesam et al, 2022). In India, there are limited reports on the occurrence of insects of forensic interest (Singh and Bharti, 2000;Bharti et al, 2001;Nandi, 2002;Bharti and Singh, 2003;Ramaraj et al, 2014;Bharti and Singh, 2017;Chakraborty et al, 2017;Hore et al, 2017;Bhattacherjee et al, 2021;Sharif and Qamar, 2021;Shinde et al, 2021;Babu et al, 2022;Kar et al, 2022;Palavesam et al, 2022).…”