The implication of morphometrics and growth rate of dipteran flies in forensic entomotoxicology research: a review
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REVIEW
The implication of morphometrics and growth rate of dipteran flies in forensic entomotoxicology research: a review Tapeshwar Bhardwaj 1
&
Sapna Sharma 1
&
Jyoti Dalal 1
&
Kapil Verma 2
Received: 23 August 2020 / Revised: 13 October 2020 / Accepted: 9 November 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Forensic entomotoxicology integrates toxicology into forensic entomology to estimate minimum postmortem interval (PMImin) and circumstances of death where toxicants and poisonous substances are the suspected cause of death. Forensic entomotoxicology not only confirms the presence of toxicants in insects feeding off a cadaver but also studies its effect on the bio-morphometry and growth rate of insects. This review article highlights the effects of various toxicants on forensically important species of dipteran flies. It also discusses the parameters that may affect accuracy in estimation of time since death. The bio-physical effects of toxicants (excluding the analytical approach for qualitative detection) would help understand the trends in forensic entomotoxicological research worldwide. Keywords Forensic entomology . Entomotoxicology . Postmortem interval (PMI) . Bio-morphometric . Diptera . Flies
Introduction Forensic entomology is the application of the knowledge and study of insects to answer questions in criminal and civil cases (Catts and Goff 1992; Erzinçlioglu 2003). Various species of insects feed on the carcass, colonize it and help in its decomposition (Higley and Haskell 2009). Detritivores, mainly flies and beetles, are often associated with decomposing corpses or carcasses, body parts and other organic matters (Byrd and Castner 2010; Trees for Life 2019). The documented history and development of forensic entomology dates to the thirteenth century, and its legality in court matters dates to the late 1800s (Benecke 2001). Most of the insects of forensic relevance are from the Diptera and Coleoptera families (Goff 2009; Higley and Haskell 2009; Wells and LaMotte 2009). Insects in the dipteran family are the first to arrive and colonize a cadaver (Anderson and VanLaerhoven 1996; Communicated by: Dany Azar * Sapna Sharma [email protected]; [email protected] 1
Department of Genetics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India
2
Department of Forensic Science, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana, India
Grassberger and Frank 2004; Higley and Haskell 2009). Dipterans may include various flies belonging to different families, such as blowflies (Calliphoridae), flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), house flies (Muscidae) and cheese skippers (Piophilidae) (Gennard 2012). The estimation of minimum postmortem interval (PMImin) or time since colonization is one of the most profound applications of this science in courts of law (Smith 1986; Erzinçlioglu 2003; Villet et al. 2009; Tomberlin et al. 2011). Chemical substances such as drugs (including pharmaceutical preparations) and organic and inorganic poisons affect the lifecycle of insects, which is the fou
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