title: Identification of the forensically important sarcophagid flies Boerttcherisca peregrina, Parasarcophaga albiceps and Parasarcophaga dux (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) based on COII gene in China.
abstract: Accurate species identication is a crucial step in forensic entomology, as the insect collected on a corpse can provide useful information for estimation of postmortem interval (PMI). The utility of the forensically important Sarcophagidae (Diptera) for crime scene investigation has been severely restricted, as morphological identification is difficult, especially the identification of females and larvae. In this study, a method for using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data and phylogenetic analysis was performed to distinguish the three Chinese sarcophagid species: Boerttcherisca peregrina (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) Parasarcophaga albiceps (Meigen, 1826) and Parasarcophaga dux (Thompson, 1869) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). DNA was extracted and analyzed by a 189 bp fragment of cytochrome coxidase subunit II (COII) gene. The monophyletic branches of the phylogenetic tree reveal that this marker is suitable for discrimination between these species, providing high support for separation on congeneric species. Therefore, the molecular method applied to the sarcophagid species identification is feasible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Y D
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: F L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Q L
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: X H
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Wen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics*; D004772:Entomology / Q000379:methods*; D044707:Forensic Sciences / Q000379:methods*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D058493:Sarcophagidae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D019476:Insect Proteins; C117108:cytochrome C oxidase subunit II; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV