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(Reference retrieved automatically from SciELO through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Influence of photoperiod on body weight and depth of burrowing in larvae of Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) (Diptera, Calliphoridae) and implications for forensic entomology

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Author(s):
Leonardo Gomes [1] ; Guilherme Gomes [2] ; Helena Gutierrez Oliveira [3] ; Marcos Rogério Sanches [4] ; Claudio José Von Zuben [5]
Total Authors: 5
Affiliation:
[1] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Instituto de Biociências. Departamento de Zoologia - Brasil
[2] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Instituto de Biociências. Departamento de Zoologia - Brasil
[3] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Instituto de Biociências. Departamento de Zoologia - Brasil
[4] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Instituto de Biociências. Departamento de Zoologia - Brasil
[5] Universidade Estadual Paulista. Instituto de Biociências. Departamento de Zoologia - Brasil
Total Affiliations: 5
Document type: Journal article
Source: Revista Brasileira de Entomologia; v. 50, n. 1, p. 76-79, 2006-03-00.
Abstract

Blowflies use discrete, ephemeral breeding sites for larval nutrition. After exhaustion of the food supply, the larvae disperse in search of sites to pupate or to seek other sources of food in a process known as post-feeding larval dispersal. In this study, some of the most important aspects of this process were investigated in larvae of the blowflies Chrysomya megacephala exposed to a variety of light: dark (LD) cycles (0:0 h, 12:12 h and 24:0 h) and incubated in tubes covered with vermiculite. For each pupa, the body weight and depth of burrowing were determined. Statistical tests were used to examine the relationship of depth of burrowing and body weight to photoperiod at which burrowing occurred. The study of burial behavior in post-feeding larval dispersing can be useful for estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) of human corpses in forensic medicine. (AU)