Morphological Description of Lucilia purpurascens (Walker, 1836) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Boyacá-Colombia Strain

Flies of the family Calliphoridae are relevant in medico-legal investigations. Lucilia purpurascens is a specie belonging to this family which has been reported in different countries, including Colombia. Although there are records for Boyacá, there are no scientific publications to support them...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mancipe Villamarin, Ángela Patricia, Segura, Alexandra
Format: Online
Language:spa
Published: Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://revistas.uptc.edu.co/index.php/ciencia_en_desarrollo/article/view/14032
Description
Summary:Flies of the family Calliphoridae are relevant in medico-legal investigations. Lucilia purpurascens is a specie belonging to this family which has been reported in different countries, including Colombia. Although there are records for Boyacá, there are no scientific publications to support them. The genus Lucilia has challenges in taxonomically separating its species due to synonyms, and L. purpurascens is an example of this. taking into account the above, the study aimed to identify and describe the main morphological characteristics of L. purpurascens from the Department of Boyacá. Adults, including males and females from L. purpurascens were collected and colonized under laboratory conditions. Daily individuals of all stages of development were taken out. Larvae were rinsed and fixed on permanent plates. A distinctive feature of the third-instar larva was the pattern of double-ended spines. Regarding adults, there was a marked sexual dimorphism, evident in the silver parafacial in males and orange in females, as well as a difference in the size of the mean ocellus. In general, taxonomic characters of the calyptras, ampulla, and wings were described, which combined are relevant for the taxonomic identification of the species using both males and females. The characters were registered photographically, which will facilitate the correct identification through traditional taxonomy. The present work presents for the first time the complete description of the female of L. purpurascens.