Lucilia Silvarum - Forensics

Forensics

This fly species is typically the first genus of fly to show up on corpses, specifically in the United States and Canada. It is this important fact that causes this fly to be of great importance to forensic scientists, specifically in determination of time of death of an individual.

From stage to stage of this species' life cycle it is required for each particular larvae form to molt. It is this molting which allows forensic investigators to determine the time of death in forensic cases. Forensic scientists are able to measure the size of mouth parts, as well as the size of the individual larvae in order to distinguish a range of time of death for a deceased individual. However, the molting of larvae can be severely altered due to the climate, humidity, and other atmospheric conditions and all of these particular concerns must be taken into account before a precise time of death is determined. In the case of this fly, if a forensic entomologist were to find an empty puparia, it would be determined that the deceased individual died approximately 20 days prior.