title: Diptera Brachycera found inside the esophagus of a mummified adult male from the early XIX century, Lisbon, Portugal.
abstract: Fly puparia and adult fragments of diptera muscid were found inside the esophagus of a mummified body from the early XIX century, buried inside the crypt of the Sacrament Church (Lisbon, Portugal). The identification of the material revealed a monospecific colonization by Ophyra capensis (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Muscidae), a species known to invade corpses in the ammoniacal fermentation wave. This species can be found in corpses kept indoors, not available to the early waves of blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae). In the present case, the number of pupae and their developmental stage suggest that the female invaded the mummified corpse through the partially opened mouth and the oviposition took place directly inside the esophagus. This is the first case of O. capensis infesting internal organs of an intact corpse. The use of chemical products for the embalming process probably explains why external colonization did not occur.
authors.affiliation: Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20940-040, Brasil. mcouri@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Márcia Souto
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Couri
authors.forename: Sheila Maria Ferraz Mendonça de
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: André Mallemont
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.forename: Eugénia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cunha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D004947:Esophagus / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009106:Mummies / Q000469:parasitology*; D009117:Muscidae; D011174:Portugal; D011679:Pupa