Precocious egg development in wild Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) - An issue of relevance in forensic...

The list of factors influencing the development of forensically important insects and the related effects on minimum post mortem (PMI_min) estimations is long and well established by various authors in forensic entomology over the last decades. Despite the fact that several authors mention precocious egg development, i.e. first instar larva in the genital tract of some species of Calliphoridae, as a potential error source for PMI_min estimations just two studies were performed to examine the occurrence of precocious eggs both in laboratory and field populations of blow flies. In the present study the occurrence of gravid females with precocious eggs in a wild population of Calliphora vicina in Frankfurt am Main was surveyed over 152 days and their seasonal distribution was analyzed as well as the influence of abiotic variables on their abundance. During the sampling occasions, 5.216 females were sampled of which 44 % were gravid. 54 % of all gravid females had a precocious egg/first instar larva in their genital tract. This number varied depending on the season and showed the highest amount in spring with almost 64 % of all gravid females. Hence, precocious eggs in wild populations of blow flies can occur much more frequently than mentioned in forensic literature. Consequences for the evaluation of entomological evidence in forensic casework should not be overrated since focusing alone on the largest larva in a sample is not recommended as the sole reference in an entomological PMI_min estimation. The entomological report has to justify its findings, discuss different options and finally state what is considered to be the most likely scenario based on the complete evidence (e.g. including all species and relevant age cohorts as well as succession data) and the case specific history.