Vol. 110 - Part III - Zoological Survey of India

Rec. zool. Surv. India : 110(Part–3) : 115-117, 2010Short CommunicationON A COLLECTION OF THE FLIES OF FORENSIC IMPOTANCEINTRODUCTIONThe decomposition of a dead body starts firstlythrough the action of micro organisms such as fungiand bacteria, followed by the action of a series ofarthropods, with the predominance of thesarcosaprophagous insects (Nuorteva, 1977).Flies are the most important organisms for forensicstudy because most of them develop in the bodies ofdead vertebrates, and several species leave behind aheavily sclerotized (hardened) puparial case that maypersist for centuries which help to determine the timeof death etc. But its use in India is meagre because ofthe lack of base line knowledge on carrion fauna. Thescientists of Diptera section, Zoological Survey of India,have initiated a study with an aim to generate the basicdata on these carrion feeding flies.Our objective is to identify the flies those visit thecorpse or carcass in the adult form and also breed onthese substrates. This communication reports 2 speciesof family Muscidae and 1 species each of familiesStratiomyidae, Calliphoridae, Ulididae andSarcophagidae from the carcasses of Rhino, Rat andFrog.MATERIALS AND METHODSThe study was done in two different environments: in the Laboratory of National Museum of NaturalHistory, Bhubaneswar, and in a natural forest area of asemi urban area. The rats and frogs were killed throughhead injury and immediately placed in the natural forestunder a shaded tree. The adult flies were collected bysweeping insect net and larvae were collected throughhand picking methods. Mostly collection was made inbetween 11 A.M. to 12 P.M. in the month of August’2007 & February, 2008. Observations and collectionswere continued until the entire carcass had beenconsumed.KEY TO THE FAMILIES OF FLIES ASSOCIATEDWITH CARCASSES1. Third antennal segment with rings ............................................................................ Stratiomyidae— Third antennal segment with bristles................ 22. Second antennal segment lacking longitudinalseam; inner calypter small or absent; thoraxtypically lacking complete transverse suture...................................................................... Ulididae— Second antennal segment with longitudinal seam;inner calypter usually large; thorax usually withtransverse suture ............................................... 33. Hypopleura usually lacking stiff bristles andwithout setae, or if hypopleural setae present, thenpteropleural bristles absent or cell P 1 notnarrowing towards wing tip ................ Muscidae— Hypopleura and pteropleura with stiff bristles; cellP 1 narrowing or closed toward wing tip ........... 44. Antennal aristae usually plumose throughout, 2notopleural bristles; body often metallic green orblue ................................................. Calliphoridae— Antennal aristae typically plumose only on basalhalf, 3-4 notopleural bristles; body not-metallic ...................................................... SarcophagidaeFamily STRATIOMYIDAEHermatia illucens (Linnaeus)1758. Musca illucens Linnaeus, Syst, Nat. Ed. 10, 1 : 589.Type-locality : South America1975. Hermatia illucens : Delfinado & Hardy, A catalog ofDiptera of the Oriental Region, 2 : 31Material examined : 1♂, NMNH, Bhubaneswar,4.ix.2005, coll. P. Roy, from semi dried flesh of Rhino.Remarks : This black-colored fly is easily recognized,having two translucent “windows” on the firstabdominal segment. Larvae are occasionally found