title: The effect of temperature on development of Sarconesia chlorogaster, a blowfly of forensic importance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The blowfly Sarconesia chlorogaster (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is of limited forensic use in South America, due to the poorly known relationship between development time and temperature. The purpose of this study was to determine development time of S. chlorogaster at different constant temperatures, thereby enabling the forensic use of this fly.
  
  
  METHODS
  Development time of this species was examined by observing larval development at six temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 °C). The thermal constant (K), the minimum development threshold (t 0), and development rate were calculated using linear regressions of the development time interval at five temperatures (10-30 °C).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Development interval from egg to adult varied from 14.2 to 95.2 days, depending on temperature. The t0 calculated for total immature development is 6.33 °C and the overall thermal constant is 355.51 degree-days (DD). Temperature affected the viability of pupae, at 35 °C 100 % mortality was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Understanding development rate across these temperatures now makes development of S. chlorogaster a forensically useful tool for estimating postmortem interval.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Caixa Postal 19020, Curitiba, PR, 81531-980, Brazil. melise.lecheta@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Melise Cristine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lecheta
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Caixa Postal 6109, Campinas, SP, 13083-862, Brazil.
authors.forename: Patricia Jacqueline
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Thyssen
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Caixa Postal 19020, Curitiba, PR, 81531-980, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mauricio Osvaldo
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Moura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004175:Diptera / Q000254:growth & development*; D004772:Entomology; D044707:Forensic Sciences; D006801:Humans; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D016014:Linear Models; D011679:Pupa / Q000254:growth & development; D013696:Temperature
keywords: Forensic entomology; Larval growth; Postmortem interval; Thermal requirements