The fly larvae of forensically important insects will form maggot masses on freshly killed host. These maggot masses show variations in temperature due to location, daily climate and the number of larvae present. This study utilized the carcass of one Florida black bear to determine primary species of Diptera in the area and observe the behavior and function of the maggot mass. During the summer months in Central Florida, the most abundant species of fly observed around the carcass was Chrysomya rufifacies, which appeared a few hours after the other fly species. C. rufifaces larvae fed off of the other larval species as well as the carcass, hence becoming the primary component of the maggot mass. During this study, the temperature of the maggot mass varied from 20„a to 46„aC throughout the two months the bear decomposed until it was completely skeletonized. Of the four basic temperatures that were recorded, an ANOVA test showed that there was a significant difference between them.
Species 1: Diptera Calliphoridae Chrysomya rufifacies (hairy maggot blow fly)
Keywords: forensic entomology
Back to Student Competition Display Presentations, Section D. Medical and Veterinary Entomology
Back to Student Competition Posters
Back to The 2003 ESA Annual Meeting and Exhibition