NCJ Number
229292
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 54 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2009 Pages: 1450-1452
Date Published
November 2009
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Given that the nighttime ovipositing behavior of carrion flies potentially has a significant impact on postmortem interval estimation, this study investigated these behaviors of carrion flies by exposing euthanized rats between sunset and sunrise in order to determine whether carrion flies oviposited upon the carrion over two consecutive summers in the Cincinnati metropolitan area.
Abstract
The study findings do not support the view that there is a relationship between light intensity and nighttime ovipositing behavior as proposed by Singh and Bharti. Neither did the study find compelling evidence that nightime ovipositing behavior might be different for urban and rural locations as suggested by Greenberg. Given these findings, the authors conclude that the nighttime ovipositing rates indicated by Greenberg and Singh and Bharti cannot be applied to the Cincinnati metropolitan area. Additional research is needed to determine the true prevalence of nocturnal oviposition, as well as the factors that might make such behavior more or less likely. At a minimum, future field research must have larger sample sizes to allow for a proper assessment of the true rarity of the measured behavior. The studies were conducted from late July through September of 2006 and 2007 at four sites in and near Cincinnati, OH. Three sites were urban locations, and one site was a rural location. Total sample size was 128, with 48 samples taken in the 2006 season and 80 samples taken in the 2007 season. 14 references