Eats maggots

Blowfly could make murder investigations more difficult

As a result of climate change, the blowfly species Chrysomya albiceps is also becoming increasingly widespread here.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Macronatura.es)

A species of blowfly (Chrysomya albiceps) that is now also found in Central Europe due to the climate could make solving crimes more difficult. This is because this fly species eats other maggots on carcasses or influences the development time of insect larvae.

"Their aggressive larval feeding behavior could turn back the post-mortem insect clock by eliminating all previous arrivals," explains Kadarver ecologist Christian von Hoermann from the University of Würzburg. "It is important for forensic scientists to know where this blowfly occurs." Insects on corpses can be an important aid in murder investigations. Hundreds of insect species then populate the dead body - and provide experts with a multitude of traces. However, if these are eaten away, it becomes more difficult to determine the time of death and other details - such as whether the body has already been in a different location.

Infestation of bison carcass investigated and fly discovered
Von Hoermann, together with the Nuremberg Zoo, the Bavarian Forest National Park and the Czech Šumava National Park, had laid out a dead bison bull (Bison bonasus) in the Šumava National Park at the end of July for a research project - not far from the Bavarian border. According to the zoo, this was the first time a bison carcass had been laid out under targeted scientific sampling and observation in Central Europe.

Fly previously only lived in oriental and tropical regions
For more than two months, the scientists observed how the animal decomposed. This was the first time the Chrysomya albiceps blowfly had been discovered in the national park. Previously, findings were only known from warmer areas in southern Europe, the Middle East and tropical regions.