title: Postfeeding larval dispersal behavior of late season blow flies (calliphoridae) in Southern Ontario, Canada.
abstract: Postfeeding dispersal involves migration of larvae away from their food source in order to pupate. Puparia are difficult to find, yet are important for estimating PMI, and missing puparia during collection can result in inaccurate estimations. This study investigates the late season maggot dispersal patterns for blow flies at coyote carcasses in two habitats with an aim to improving puparia collection procedures. Puparia samples collected from various dispersal distances and directions tested the spatial distribution patterns of the various species using the variance/mean ratio (VMR). Lucilia illustris was the most common species to emerge, with a preferred minimum dispersal distance of more than 50.8 cm and an overall VMR value of 14.91, indicating this species had a clumped distribution pattern. These findings highlight that current collection procedures that use random sampling from under carcasses do not adequately account for the spatial distribution of larvae.
authors.affiliation: School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Turpin
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kyle
authors.forename: David V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Beresford
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004175:Diptera; D004772:Entomology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D007814:Larva; D008297:Male; D009864:Ontario; D011180:Postmortem Changes
keywords: Lucilia illustris; blowflies; collection procedures; forensic entomology; forensic science; postfeeding dispersal; postmortem interval; pupation; seasonal effect; variance/mean ratio