Coffin Fly
Megaselia scalaris- a member the family Phoridae
Characteristics
- Thorax is large- "humpbacked structure" Major bristles of body are characteristically feathered in this region
- Variety of sensory organs are present on the posterior surface
- Wings are usually large and fringed with short to long setae
- Several tiny pore-like sensory organsare present at various places on the anterior veins.
- Has the ability to dig up to six feet underground to reach a body and oviposit.
Diet
- omnivorous species: plants, wounds, and corpses
- Oviposit within a few days of a corpse's exposure.
- Protein food sources are preferred by the females preceding maturation of their eggs
- All meals must be a fluid in order for the flies to access because coffin fly has sponging mouthparts
A Case of Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Dipt., Phoridae) breeding in a human corpse
- 1999, Southern Italy
- adult male was exhumed- buried at a depth of 30-40 cm in a wooden coffin approximately one year before the exhumation.
- Killed by gunshot wounds to the head and the chest.
- The fully clothed corpse was covered with numerous larvae, pupae and empty puparia.
- The larvae and adults collected during the autopsy- identified as individuals of Megaselia scalaris (only insect evidence associated to the human remains).
- The examination of the coffin revealed some very small holes of the wooden axis through which only small flies like M. scalaris were able to get the body.
Life Cycle
Geographic location
- breed in human corpses with such tenacity, they can even continue living within buried coffins
- frequent unsanitary places,including drain pipes. they may transport various disease-causing organisms to food material.
Time appears on body
- about a year after death
- Dry decay
- State of decay: body is now dry and decays very slowly. Eventually all the hair disappears leaving the bones only.
Citations
Manlove, J.D. "The Use of Megaselia Abdita (Diptera: Phordae) in Forensic Entomology." ScienceDirect. Elsevier Ireland and L.td., 1 Jan. 2008. Web. 1 Jan. 2015. <https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/elsevier/the-use-of-megaselia-abdita-diptera-phoridae-in-forensic-entomology-eiHuKWO3yl>.
"FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY OR THE USE OF INSECTS IN DEATH INVESTIGATIONS." INVESTIGATING FORENSICS. SFU Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 1 Jan. 2010. Web. 1 Jan. 2015. <http://www.sfu.museum/forensics/eng/pg_media-media_pg/entomologie-entomology/>.
Brake, Irina. "Megaselia Scalaris." Encyclopedia of Life. EOL. Web. 1 Jan. 2015. <http://eol.org/pages/735077/details>.
Campobasso, C.P. "A Case of Megaselia Scalaris (Loew) (Dipt., Phoridae) Breeding in a Human Corpse." Researchgate. The Guest Editor & Aggrawal´s Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology., 1 Jan. 2004. Web. 1 Jan. 2015.
"Phoridae: Humpbacked Or Coffin Flies." LSUAgCenter. LSU AgCenter, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 1 Jan. 2015. <http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/environment/insects/public_health/Humpback Or Coffin Flies.htm>.