Effects of environmental temperature on oviposition behavior in three blow fly species of forensic importance

- Temperature (10-40 °C) effects on oviposition behavior of three blow fly species were examined.
- Differences between species in oviposition behavior and survival to pupation were found.Variation in oviposition behavior between species suggests that some species may provide more precise mPMI estimates.
- Results indicate that the utility of mPMI estimates is likely to be affected by interaction effects between habitat, species distribution patterns and temperature.

A number of factors are known to affect blow fly behavior with respect to oviposition. Current research indicates that temperature is the most significant factor. However temperature thresholds for oviposition in forensically important blow flies have not been well studied. Here, the oviposition behavior of three species of forensically important blow fly species (Calliphora vicina, Calliphora vomitoria and Lucilia sericata,) was studied under controlled laboratory conditions over a range of temperatures (10-40 °C). Lower temperature thresholds for oviposition of 16 °C and 17.5 °C were established for C. vomitoria and L. sericata respectively, whilst C. vicina continued to lay eggs at 10 °C. C. vomitoria and L. sericata both continued to lay eggs at 40 °C, whilst the highest temperature at which oviposition occurred in C. vicina was 35 °C. Within these thresholds there was considerable variation in the number of surviving pupae, with a general pattern of a single peak within the range of temperatures at which eggs were laid, but with the pattern being much less distinct for L. sericata.