Micah Flores
Major Professor: Dr. Jeff Tomberlin
M.S. Candidate
"Effects of Temperature and Tissue Type on the Development of the Hairy Maggot Blow Fly, Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) (Diptera: Calliphoridae)."
After attending this presentation, attendees will have a better understanding of the significance of tissue type and temperature on the rate of development of Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart). Forensic entomology utilizes development data of calliphorid flies such as C. rufifacies. Chrysomya rufifacies is commonly used in estimating the period of insect activity (PIA) on a corpse due to its rapid colonization time of fresh remains, active oviposition during daylight, and its abundance throughout the southern United States. Chrysomya rufifacies is a secondary myiasis producer, meaning that it can be found infesting living animal muscle tissue and potentially could be involved in veterinary forensic cases. First introduced into the Americas in the late 1970's, C. rufifacies is one of the primary flies collected from human remains in Texas during the warm months of the year. This study is the first to examine the development of C. rufifacies on equine and canine tissues, which could provide significant information for cases of myiasis and animal neglect. Fly populations in different climates are suspected to have different development rates. This study will compare data from central Texas to that generated in Florida. If variation is demonstrated between development rates among different populations, then forensic entomologists should use data that are more informative for their area.