Standardization of a Culture Medium for Megaselia scalaris (Diptera: Phoridae) for Entomotoxicological Studies

Abstract

One of the problems faced by entomotoxicological studies is the large variability of experimental set-ups and the absence of harmonized protocols to compare the data and results obtained by different research groups. Among the wide range of influencing factors on the development and growth of insects, food substrates are remarkably relevant. This article proposes a standardized growth medium to be employed in future entomotoxicological studies on the scuttle fly Megaselia scalaris (Loew, 1866), (Diptera: Phoridae). This species plays an important role in forensic cases related to the decomposition of human remains found indoors and/or in concealed environments, because of their small size and ability to enter these locations at an earlier time than many other insects. Because of these traits, it can be used for the estimation of the minimum postmortem interval (mPMI). We achieved the formulation of a medium that overcomes two traditional disadvantages of culture media used to raise necrophagous Diptera, the unknown media composition and different growth rates from those reared in tissue. The proposed medium is a known composition formulation, free of xenobiotics, in which M. scalaris shows growth rates and development times similar to those obtained when it is reared in tissue. This new diet might be used in future studies to test the effect of substances of forensic interest (prescription or illicit drugs, poisons, etc.) on the larval development time, helping to adjust the estimation of mPMI based on the presence of such substances. Additionally, the formulation revealed some interesting data about nutritional requirements of this species.