Abstract

The identification of the genus Lucilia is important when adults or larvae are collected in forensic cases because the post-mortem interval might be estimated. In this work, we analyzed morphologically and molecularly a panel of Lucilia specimens (n = 42) collected in Costa Rica of which 21 % of the samples correspond to flies reared from larvae taken from human corpses. Morphologically, specimens were identified as Lucilia cuprina (1) (33.3 % of specimens), Lucilia eximia (1) (33.3 %), Lucilia purpurascens (2) (21.4 %) or members of Lucilia complex (11.9 %). Molecular identification with cytochrome oxidase I (COI) or 28S ribosomal subunit regions was possible for only 43 % of the samples. Most sequences obtained with COI were according to a morphological analysis, but the 28S region lacked sufficient resolution to identify samples to the level of species except L. cuprina. Together, genetic and morphological data indicate that L. cuprina and L. eximia were the most commonly found species; flies reared from larvae taken from human cadavers correspond to only these species. To our knowledge, this work is the first in Costa Rica and the Centro-American region to describe cadaveric entomofauna of Lucilia genus, which is valuable for the development of potential forensic applications.

Key words: DNA barcoding; COI; 28S; Lucilia; Costa Rica