American International Journal of Biology

Behavioral Patterns of Adult Carrion Flies Phormiaregina and Luciliacoeruleiviridis (Diptera: Calliphoridae) at Pig Carcasses in West Virginia, USA.
James E. Joy, Christopher W. LeGrow

Abstract
A study to determine adult arrival behaviors of two forensically important carrion flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Phormiaregina (Meigen) and Luciliacoeruleiviridis (Macquart), was conducted at a wildlife management area in southwestern West Virginia. Pig carcasses (Susscrofa L.) were placed in sunlit vs. shaded field plots in four separate experimental periods; May of 2006, 2007 and 2008, and June of 2008. Experimental periods of May 2006 and 2008 were significantly cooler than experimental periods of May 2007 and June 2008. Phormiaregina and L. coeruleiviridis arrive at carcasses in warm experimental periods within minutes of carcass placement (i.e., at 0 h). At carcasses in cool periods, however, arrival is delayed by 24 h for L. coeruleiviridis at both sunlit and shaded carcasses and by 30 h to 48 h for P. Regina at sunlit and shaded carcasses, respectively. Phormiaregina adults are significantly predisposed to visiting sunlit carcasses, whereas L. coeruleiviridis adults are significantly more likely to visit shaded carcasses.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/aijb.v3n2a1