Effect of ambient temperature on the developmental rate of Chrysomya magacephala in Thailand

Understanding the development of blow flies can provide detailed information of the development time and sizes of eggs and larvae which can be used to estimate the postmortem interval (PMI). We evaluated the effect of ambient temperature on the development rate of Chrysomya magacephala, the most common and important forensically blow fly species in Thailand. The findings showed that larval size and developmental time between two ambient temperature ranges, 26-38˚C (average 31˚C) and 23-34˚C (average 29˚C) were significantly different (F_3,8 =69.52, P<0.001). The developmental time and the sizes of eggs and larvae were also significantly different. However, the width and length of eggs between the two temperature ranges were not significantly different (F_5,12=5.28, P<0.0086). Additionally, accumulated degree days (ADD) of the temperature ranges of 26-38˚C and 23-34˚C were 138.9 and 149.5, respectively. The accumulated degree hours (ADH) were 3332.5 and 3588.5, respectively. These results provide new information on the temperature-dependent developmental rate of C. magacephala, an important contribution to Thailand forensic entomology.