Evaluation of Wing Morphometrics for the Identification of the Blowfly Species Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) over 9 Years

Abstract

Geometric morphometrics is a method that analyses the shape of morphological structures. It has been effectively used in the past to examine differences in wing shape among species, populations, and sexes of various Diptera families. The objective of these studies was the simple but reliable identification of numerous Diptera species of applied interest, either for designing effective control plans or accurately estimating the minimum Post-Mortem Interval in forensic cases. However, there is a paucity of studies evaluating potential differences in wing shape over time across generations. Significant differences in wing shape over time could affect the models developed for various species and populations, requiring periodic revision. We selected the species Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819), which is of great importance in forensic sciences and is widely distributed. Using geometric morphometrics, we analysed the differences in wing shape of C. albiceps individuals collected in the same area over 9 years. Our results suggest that wing shape does not change significantly over the years, as cross-validation analyses failed to accurately determine the year of the samples. These positive results support the creation of databases and models for different species and populations, as the lack of significant variation over different generations would ensure the reliability of such models in the medium to long term, making geometric morphometrics a robust tool for the identification of different dipteran species.