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Species of the genus Sarcophaga have significant medical, veterinary, and forensic importance. They can act as mechanical carriers of enteropathogens in humans, cause myiasis in cattle, and aid in determining human remains and the Post-Mortem Interval (PMI) in forensic cases. Therefore, accurate identification of flesh fly species is crucial. Despite their importance, adult Sarcophaga species are difficult to identify correctly due to their similar appearances, with species identification typically relying on the morphology of male genitalia. In this study, we conducted wing morphometric analysis on 92 flesh fly specimens, comprising 12 species from Egypt. Each specimen's right wing was removed, photographed, mounted on a microscope slide, and digitized using 19 landmarks. The study analyzed the wing shape variation among different subgenera and species through canonical variate analysis, which separated the subgenera into distinct groups with a high percentage of correct classification. The analysis also showed some overlaps in wing shape among species within each subgenus, and most comparisons resulted in a high percentage of correct classification, except for S. jacobsoni and S. mennae. The phylogenetic tree based on the wing morphology of species largely placed each species into its respective subgenus. Our findings suggest that wing shape can serve as a reliable tool for distinguishing between different subgenera and species of flesh flies. This research provides valuable insights into improving the identification process of these important insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identity and nature of the photoperiodic photoreceptors are now quite well known, as is the nature of the endocrine regulation of the resulting diapauses. The central problem of time measurement—how the photoperiodic clock differentiates long from short days—however, is still obscure, known only from whole-animal experiments and abstract models, although it is clearly a function of the insect circadian system. This review describes some of these experiments in terms of oscillator entrainment and two widely applicable photoperiodic clock models, external and internal coincidence, mainly using data from experiments on flesh flies (Sarcophaga spp) and the parasitic wasp, Nasonia vitripennis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Sarcophagidae is one of the main fly families that is attracted to open wounds, ulcers, lesions, and other injuries for depositing their larvae. The presence of larvae of flies in human tissues makes myiasis. Myiasis on the scalp could be more frightening in comparison with myiasis on the other parts of the body. It is a rare myiasis case that shows the ability of myiasis agents to attack various parts of the body. On the other hand, reporting of myiasis cases by Sarcophagidae larvae is not common due to difficulties in their identification. This study aimed to emphasize the importance of Sarcohagidae larvae in producing myiasis by describing the first case of soft tissue sarcoma infestation and provides a review of human myiasis by larvae of the Sarcophagidae family during 2010–2023 and also a review of wound myiasis cases associated with malignancy during 2000–2023. Case presentation A case of sarcoma cancer myiasis is reported on the scalp of a 43-year-old man who referred to one of Tehran’s hospitals for surgical treatment of cancer. Before surgery, insect larvae were observed in the area of ​​sarcoma. The larvae were isolated, examined morphologically, and identified as Sarcophaga spp. Conclusions Myiasis has been considered as a neglected disease. Publishing of myiasis cases could be useful to alert health policy-makers about its danger and appearance in the community. It is not usual but can be expected even on the scalp of the human head. Exact daily supervision and dressing of the wound could be recommended to prevent cutaneous myiasis.

Based on the characters of adult's external morphology and terminalia, a new species of the genus Sarcophaga (s. lat.) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) is reported from India. Adults of Sarcophaga (Lioproctia) mailansissp. nov. were collected from Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, North India. An adult female was captured from decomposing chicken meat that had been used as bait for flesh fly collection. The female larviposit on chicken liver and are reared in ideal conditions to produce adult specimens. The morphological descriptions and illustrations of male, female and immatures of Sarcophaga (Lioproctia) mailansissp. nov. are provided in this article, that aid in identification of this medically and forensically relevant flesh fly species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Species identification is vital in most studies; it can be achieved through the analysis of morphological characters or molecular markers. Unfortunately, DNA extraction involves invasive techniques that lead to the partial or total destruction of specimens, which is not usually acceptable for museum, forensic, and archaeological samples. In this work, a non-invasive DNA extraction technique is described for flies in the genus Sarcophaga (Diptera, Sarcophagidae). The technique was tested with successful results on specimens collected between 1889 and 2015. Correct species identification is the cornerstone of all scientific studies that involve insects. Alongside traditional morphological identification techniques, molecular identification based on the characterization and analysis of specific mitochondrial or nuclear gene regions is becoming commonplace. Despite the good results that can be achieved, DNA extraction usually involves invasive techniques that lead to the partial or total destruction of specimens. In this work, a non-invasive DNA extraction technique is described. The technique was tested on the abdomens of dry-preserved Sarcophagidae (Diptera) specimens collected between 1889 and 2015. This allowed for the correct identification of species without impairing diagnostic morphological structures useful for further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correct species identification is the cornerstone of all scientific studies that involve insects. Alongside traditional morphological identification techniques, molecular identification based on the characterization and analysis of specific mitochondrial or nuclear gene regions is becoming commonplace. Despite the good results that can be achieved, DNA extraction usually involves invasive techniques that lead to the partial or total destruction of specimens. In this work, a non-invasive DNA extraction technique is described. The technique was tested on the abdomens of dry-preserved Sarcophagidae (Diptera) specimens collected between 1889 and 2015. This allowed for the correct identification of species without impairing diagnostic morphological structures useful for further studies.

The weathering time of empty puparia could be important in predicting the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin). As corpse decomposition progresses to the skeletal stage, empty puparia often remain the sole evidence of fly activity at the scene. In this study, we used empty puparia of Sarcophaga peregrina (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) collected at ten different time points between January 2019 and February 2023 as our samples. Initially, we used the scanning electron microscope (SEM) to observe the surface of the empty puparia, but it was challenging to identify significant markers to estimate weathering time. We then utilized attenuated total internal reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) to detect the puparia spectrogram. Absorption peaks were observed at 1064 cm−1, 1236 cm−1, 1381 cm−1, 1538 cm−1, 1636 cm−1, 2852 cm−1, 2920 cm−1. Three machine learning models were used to regress the spectral data after dimensionality reduction using principal component analysis (PCA). Among them, eXtreme Gradient Boosting regression (XGBR) showed the best performance in the wavenumber range of 1800–600 cm−1, with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.20. This study highlights the value of refining these techniques for forensic applications involving entomological specimens and underscores the considerable potential of combining FTIR and machine learning in forensic practice. • Morphology observed by SEM is helpless in estimating puparium weathering time. • Most absorption peaks in the waveband region of 1800–600 cm−1. • XGBR perform well with the spectral data to estimate weathering time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New taxonomic and nomenclatural data are provided for Chinese species of Sarcophaga Meigen, 1824. Eight new synonyms are proposed: two at the genus level, Magnicauda Wei, 2005 syn. nov. = Sarcophaga Meigen, 1824 and Leigongshanophaga Lehrer & Wei, 2010 syn. nov. = Sarcophaga Meigen, 1824, two at the subgenus level, Magnicauda Wei, 2005 syn. nov. = Pterosarcophaga Ye, 1981 and Leigongshanophaga Lehrer & Wei, 2010 syn. nov. = Cornexcisia Fan & Kano, 2000, and four at the species level, Sarcophaga catoptosa Wei & Yang, 2007 syn. nov. = Sarcophaga suthep Pape & Bänziger, 2003, Pierretia daozhenensis Wei, 2005 syn. nov. = Sarcophaga sichotealini (Rohdendorf, 1938), Pierretia autochthona Wei & Yang, 2007 syn. nov. = Sarcophaga (Liosarcophaga) kanoi Park, 1962, and Parasarcophaga simultaneousa Wei & Yang, 2007 syn. nov. = Sarcophaga huangshanensis (Fan, 1964). Sarcophaga (Liosarcophaga) aegyptica Salem, 1935 is considered a senior synonym of Sarcophaga (Liosarcophaga) parkeri (Rohdendorf, 1937). Correct original spellings are established, by First Reviser action, for the genus-group names Magnicauda Wei, 2005 and Pterosarcophaga Ye, 1981 and for the species-group name Magnicauda linjiangensis Wei, 2005. Chinese material of Sarcophaga (Bellieriomima) genuforceps, S. (Robineauella) huangshanensis (holotype and paratype), S. (Liosarcophaga) kanoi, and S. (L.) aegyptica is photographed for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is an enzyme present in all organisms that catalyzes the irreversible deamination of adenosine and deoxyadenosine to inosine and deoxyinosine. Both adenosine and deoxyadenosine are biologically active purines that can have a deep impact on cellular physiology; notably, ADA deficiency in humans causes severe combined immunodeficiency. We have established a Drosophila model to study the effects of altered adenosine levels in vivo by genetic elimination of adenosine deaminase-related growth factor-A (ADGF-A), which has ADA activity and is expressed in the gut and hematopoietic organ. Here we show that the hemocytes ( blood cells) are the main regulator of adenosine in the Drosophila larva, as was speculated previously for mammals. The elevated level of adenosine in the hemolymph due to lack of ADGF-A leads to apparently inconsistent phenotypic effects: precocious metamorphic changes including differentiation of macrophage-like cells and fat body disintegration on one hand, and delay of development with block of pupariation on the other. The block of pupariation appears to involve signaling through the adenosine receptor (AdoR), but fat body disintegration, which is promoted by action of the hemocytes, seems to be independent of the AdoR. The existence of such an independent mechanism has also been suggested in mammals.

The Sarcophagidae family of fresh flies bears strong importance in the context of forensic entomology due to their application in the estimation of the Post Mortem Interval (PMI). Sarcophaga is the major genus in the Sarcophagidae family and includes cosmopolitan species, which are distributed worldwide. In this communication, we present the analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) of two species from Portugal – S. melanura and S. dux – and one from Brazil – S. ruficornis. The mtDNA of these species range from 14,882 bp to 15,190 bp and have 22 tRNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes (PCG), and two rRNAs distributed along both strands. Our data include the first record of complete Sarcophaga mtDNA sequences from species collected in Portugal and in Brazil. These genomes represent an advance in the understanding about this group, expand the database, and can be used for the development of new markers for species identification.

ABSTRACTThe identification of female flesh flies was always considered a difficult task since morphological descriptions and keys for females are rare. Even in a forensic entomology framework, where females play a major role, female flesh flies are usually not identified. In order to fill this gap in Southern Brazil fauna we provide detailed descriptions and key for the female of nine species included in four genera: Microcerella halli (Engel), Oxysarcodexia paulistanensis (Mattos), Oxysarcodexia riograndensis (Lopes), Peckia (Euboettcheria) australis (Townsend), Peckia(Euboettcheria) florencioi (Prado and Fonseca), Peckia (Pattonella) intermutans (Walker), Peckia(Pattonella) resona (Lopes), Peckia (Sarcodexia) lambens (Wiedemann), and Sarcophaga(Bercaea) africa (Wiedemann). These species are distinguished mainly by genital characters as tergite 6 divided or undivided, presence of tergite 8, spermatheca morphology and vaginal plate shape.

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of two flesh flies (Sarcophaga antilope Bottcher and Sarcophaga dux Thomson) are amplified, sequenced, annotated, analyzed, and compared with 13 other species of the family Sarcophagidae. The mitogenomes of S. antilope and S. dux are 15,196 bp and 15,731 bp long, respectively, and each contains the typical set of 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes) and a non-coding control region with identical gene arrangement as typical arthropod mitogenome. The phylogenetic trees inferred from Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) analysis for 15 sarcophagid and five outgroup taxa are congruent, both not supporting the monophyly of Sarcophagidae but supporting the subfamily Sarcophaginae as a monophyletic group and the tribal relationship "Boettcheriini + (Raviniini + (Parasacophagini + Sarcophagini))". The molecular dating analyses indicate the Sarcophagidae was first divided within the Late Eocene epoch (35.52 million years ago (Mya), 95% high posterior density (HPD) interval: 26.70–45.01 Mya), and most Sarcophagini species diverged during the Miocene epoch (<17.09 Mya, 95% HPD: 10.76–24.36 Mya). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Mitochondrial (-M) and cytosolic (-C) isoforms of Pepck identified. • Expression of both isoforms highest during pupal diapause. • Pepck -C expression increases in response to cold and starvation. • Pepck -M expression is non-responsive to stress. Abstract Pepck is a metabolic enzyme that participates in gluconeogenesis through the conversion of oxaloacetate into phosphoenol pyruvate. Numerous transcriptomic studies have identified Pepck as a potential key player during diapause and various stresses responses. Here, we describe expression patterns of both cytosolic and mitochondrial isoforms of Pepck throughout development, during diapause, and in response to starvation and cold shock in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga bullata. We cloned full-length transcripts for both Pepck isoforms and observed that expression of both genes varied throughout development. Diapausing pupae have the highest relative expression of both isoforms, suggesting participation in the anticipatory production of sugars and sugar alcohols that occurs during this overwintering stage. In response to acute stress, the cytosolic isoform was upregulated whereas the mitochondrial variant remained unchanged. Cytosolic Pepck was strongly upregulated after 2 h recovery from cold shock and returned to baseline levels within 8 h. In response to 24 h of starvation, the cytosolic isoform was similarly upregulated and returned to control levels after 24 h of recovery. Acute stress is known to incur a metabolic cost, and Pepck could be a key player in this response. Although it remains unclear why there is such a dramatic divergence in the expression of the two isoforms, the distinction suggests specific roles for the two isoforms that depend on the developmental status of the fly and the stress conditions to which it is exposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of nosocomial myiasis reflects a lack of adequate medical attention, due to the physical facilities and/or the health care personnel. Patients requiring special attention are more susceptible, such as those with a loss of consciousness, assisted mechanical ventilation, tracheal tubes, or nasogastric probes. Nosocomial myiasis is a rare event that has a greater occurrence in the hospitals of poor and developing countries. The two cases herein described represent the first report of nosocomial myiasis in Mexico. The causal agents were found to be Lucilia sericata and Sarcophaga spp. The taxonomical identification of the larvae of the second and third instar was based on the morphology of the cephaloskeleton, anterior spiracles, and peritreme plaques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sarcophaga spp. available whether through the field collections from different Egyptian localities and/or through the material preserved in the main Egyptian insect collections are keyed in the present study. One new species, S. mennae sp. n., is described, and two new species records for Egypt, S. parkeri (Rohdendorf, 1937) and S. marshalli Parker, 1923 are discovered. A key to nine subgenera and 21 out of 27 species representing the genus Sarcophaga in Egypt is provided based primarily on male genitalia. Photographs and illustrations of treated species are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitochondrial antioxidant manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) plays a vital role in defence against reactive oxygen species (ROS) in eukaryotic mitochondria. This study was conducted to characteriseSODas an antioxidant gene from haemolymph of third larval instar of the flesh fly, Sarcophaga argyrostoma after challenging with hydrogen peroxide. Mn-SaSOD of S. argyrostoma has a single open reading frame (orf) of 765 nucleotides that encode a polypeptide of 254 amino acids. Subsequent analyses of Mn-SOD gene sequences revealed that the identified Mn-SaSOD gene in this study shared homology with similar genes from other insect species. In addition, four manganese ion-binding sites (metalbinding sites) and Mn-Fe SOD signature were identified within the orf of Mn-SaSOD. One putative transcription factor-binding site (TATT) within the 5'-flanking region was predicted. This finding suggests that Mn-SaSOD might be involved in environmental stress responses and could be used in the production of novel antioxidants to compensate for the increasing demand of natural antioxidants instead of the chemical synthetic ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some representatives of flesh flies visiting/colonizing the decomposed remains demonstrated their values in estimating the minimal postmortem interval (PMImin) since death. However, the utility of sarcophagid flies has been seriously hampered by limited ecological, biological and taxonomic knowledge of them. Although mitochondrial genes have been proposed as a potential DNA barcode for the species-level identification of sarcophagids, some defects still remain such as the substantial memory and processing time taken for homologous comparisons online. Moreover, species identification is mainly achieved by Sanger sequencing based on PCR with genus-specific primers. In the present study we characterized 24 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as robust markers of genetic variation for identifying different sarcophagids based on available cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) data and verified them through pyrosequencing (PSQ) technology to establish a SNP-based genotyping system. The system provides a preliminary foundation for developing a rapid, reliable, and high-throughput assay so as to efficiently and accurately identify the sarcophgid flies. Furthermore, the PSQ approach is proved to be faster, more cost-effective as well as more sensitive and specific than custom Sanger sequencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myiasis is the infestation by dipterous fly larvae in humans and animals. The larvae can infect living or necrotic tissue involving the skin, nasopharynx, genitourinary, and gastrointestinal tracts. The accidental ingestion of eggs causes infection of the intestinal tract. We report a case of intestinal myiasis caused by Sarcophaga spp. larvae in a two-year-old child from Limatambo province in the Cusco region of Peru. Live larvae were identified incidentally in this child’s stool sample during the study screening for Strongyloides stercoralis. The child did not have any constitutional or abdominal symptoms. The morphological examination of the specimen under magnification revealed Sarcophaga spp. larvae. We performed a literature review of publications reporting intestinal myiasis caused by Sarcophaga spp. and discussed key aspects of this infestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many animal species, circadian rhythms of behavior are not constant throughout the lifetime of the individual but rather exhibit at least some degree of plasticity. In the present study, we have examined the potential influences of gender, age, and nutrition (presence or absence of liver) on the expression of circadian locomotor activity rhythms in the flesh fly Sarcophaga crassipalpis . We found no significant differences in endogenous circadian period under constant dark conditions with respect to gender, nutrition, or age for the duration of our experiments. On the other hand, both male and female flesh flies, as expected, were predominantly diurnal under light-dark cycles, but the pattern of entrainment differed between the sexes. Females also displayed higher activity levels than males. Also, in contrast with males, female activity levels increased with age. Moreover, females exhibited an extraordinary, but transient (one to three days), departure from diurnality which we characterize as “extended dark activity” (EDA). This phenomenon appeared as a continuous bout of locomotor activity that extended at least three hours into the early half of the dark phase at levels at least twice the median of the overall locomotor activity for the individual fly. EDA occurred as an age-dependent response to liver consumption, never appearing prior to day 4 post-eclosion but, thereafter, transpiring within one or two days after a 48-h exposure to liver. These results suggest a linkage between physiological events associated with egg provisioning and locomotor activity in the anautogenous flesh fly. Furthermore, our findings identify the existence of multiple influences on the expression of circadian clock-regulated behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although of its medical importance and its role in the forensic investigation field, flesh fly, Sarcophaga (Liopygia) argyrostoma is not well taxonomically studied. This work aimed to use different tools (morphological and biochemical) toward precise identification of this species. By using SEM, different types of antennal sensilla (used for host location among other functions) had been classified to be applied as potential accurate taxonomic character. Trichoid sensilla are the most common and numerous types on S. argyrostoma antennae, in addition chaetica, basiconica and campaniform types are found to be represented by a few numbers. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis characterized thirty-eight cuticular hydrocarbons components (CHCs) found in the flesh fly integument. The hydrocarbons identified were belonged to seven categories (i.e. Alkane, Alkene, Cycloalkane, monocyclic hydrocarbons, Alkyne, Polycyclic and Cycloalkane hydrocarbons), with chain length ranged from C5 to C35. Cuticular hydrocarbon profile now used precisely in insect taxonomy. Most studies on Sarcophaga were carried out on larvae, it's very important to study adult flies to suggest precaution and control measures against adults to reduce their harmful role in diseases transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Nitric oxide (NO) plays various roles in insect immunity: as a cytotoxic component and as a signalling molecule; and immune-reactive lysozymes (IrLys) provide a first line of humoral immune functions against invading bacteria. Although there is considerable literature on eicosanoid and biogenic monoamine actions on insect immunity, there is no information on the role(s) of these chemicals in inducing NO and IrLys. We addressed this gap by challenging third instar Sarcophaga (Liopygia) argyrostoma (Robineau-Desvoidy) with the Gram-positive bacterium Micrococcus luteus. Here, we report that bacterial challenge induces elevation of NO and IrLys concentrations in haemocytes and in the fat body. The plasma pool content is comparatively low. Eicosanoid biosynthesis inhibitors (EBIs) lead to suppression of both NO and IrLys levels. Control larvae have low constitutive levels of NO and lysozyme concentrations. Octopamine (OA) elicits elevation of NO and IrLys concentrations. A similar effect is obtained by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) for NO. These data indicate immune-mediating roles of eicosanoids, OA and 5-HT in NO and IrLys activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

No abstract is available for this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new species, Sarcophaga (Sarcorohdendorfia) maxima sp. nov., supported by both morphological and DNA barcoding data, is described from Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. The major morphological features of the new species are listed, and the male terminalia are documented with both photography and scanning electron microscopy. Sarcophaga alcicornis Hardy, 1932 is transferred from subgenus Lioproctia Enderlein to Sarcorohdendorfia Baranov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphological characteristics of artifacts from five species of necrophagous flies were examined following feeding on several types of diets. Four types of insect stains were produced by each species: regurgitate, defecatory, translocation, and tarsal tracks. Regurgitate was the most frequent type deposited (70.9 ± 2.4%), followed by defecatory (19.8 ± 4.0%), tarsal tracks (8.6 ± 1.2%), and translocation (0.7 ± 0.1%). Artifact shapes, sizes, and color were highly variable and species and diet specific. Calliphora vicina and Sarcophaga bullata consistently deposited the largest artifacts after feeding, whereas Chrysomya rufifacies and Ch. megacephala produced more tarsal tracks than the other species examined. Artifacts with tails were infrequently observed (4.1 ± 0.6% of all stains) but occurred as either defecatory or regurgitate stains. The widely variable morphologies of all types of fly artifacts underscores the view that insect stains cannot be distinguished from human bloodstains based on morphology alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe five cases of myiasis of domestic cats, Felis silvestris catus L. (Carnivora: Felidae), reported in 2016 in northern Italy and caused by three Diptera species: Sarcophaga argyrostoma (Robineau-Desvoidy) (Sarcophagidae), Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy and Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Calliphoridae). Three were cases of traumatic myiasis, one by S. argyrostoma and two by L. sericata, one was a case of auricular myiasis by C. vicina and one was a case of ophthalmomyiasis caused by an association of L. sericata and C. vicina. The myiasis by S. argyrostoma is the first reported case of this species in a cat, whereas the two myiases by C. vicina are the first reported cases in cats in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flesh fly Sarcophaga similis show a clear photoperiodic response; they develop into adults under long days, whereas they arrest their development at the pupal stage under short days. Although the involvement of a circadian clock in photoperiodic time measurement is suggested in this species, the anatomical location of the clock neurons responsible for the time measurement has been unknown. We detected two PERIOD-immunoreactive cell clusters in the larval brain; one cluster was located at the dorsoanterior region and the other at the medial region. We further investigated their temporal changes in PERIOD-immunoreactivity and compared their patterns under different photoperiods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diapause, an alternative developmental pathway characterized by changes in developmental timing and metabolism, is coordinated by molecular mechanisms that are not completely understood. MicroRNA (miRNA) mediated gene silencing is emerging as a key component of animal development and may have a significant role in initiating, maintaining, and terminating insect diapause. In the present study, we test this possibility by using high-throughput sequencing and qRT-PCR to discover diapause-related shifts in miRNA abundance in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga bullata . We identified ten evolutionarily conserved miRNAs that were differentially expressed in diapausing pupae compared to their nondiapausing counterparts. miR-289-5p and miR-1-3p were overexpressed in diapausing pupae and may be responsible for silencing expression of candidate genes during diapause. miR-9c-5p, miR-13b-3p, miR-31a-5p, miR-92b-3p, miR-275-3p, miR-276a-3p, miR-277-3p, and miR-305-5p were underexpressed in diapausing pupae and may contribute to increased expression of heat shock proteins and other factors necessary for the enhanced environmental stress-response that is a feature of diapause. In S. bullata , a maternal effect blocks the programming of diapause in progeny of females that have experienced pupal diapause, and in this study we report that several miRNAs, including miR-263a-5p, miR-100-5p, miR-125-5p, and let-7-5p were significantly overexpressed in such nondiapausing flies and may prevent entry into diapause. Together these miRNAs appear to be integral to the molecular processes that mediate entry into diapause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hyperdiverse genus Sarcophaga Meigen, with about 890 valid species arranged within 169 subgenera, accounts for almost half of the diversity of the subfamily Sarcophaginae. Current phylogenetic hypotheses for this genus are poorly supported or based on small taxon sets, or both. Here, we use molecular data from the genes COI and 28S to reconstruct the phylogeny of Sarcophaga based on the most comprehensive sampling for the group to date: 144 species from 47 subgenera, including representatives from all regional faunas for the first time. Of the total sequences of Sarcophaga used in the present study, 94.7% were newly generated. The secondary structure of the D1-D3 expansion segments of 28S is presented for the first time for the family Sarcophagidae, and is used in a multiple sequence alignment. Branch support and tree resolution increased remarkably through rogue taxa identification and exclusion. Rogue behaviour was explained mostly as a missing data problem. The RogueNaRok web service and the algorithms chkmoves, IterPCR and prunmajor implemented in the computer program TNT were equally good at identifying critical rogue species, but chkmoves and IterPCR also identified rogue clades. Pruning rogues increased the number of monophyletic subgenera in consensus trees from one to six out of 19 subgenera with more than one representative species. Bayesian inference, maximum-likelihood and parsimony analyses recovered more monophyletic subgenera after the removal of rogue taxa, with parsimony showing the largest improvements in branch support and resolution. Although with low support, Nearctic taxa were found to be the earliest diverging lineages, followed by a subsequent diversification of Old World faunas, which is in agreement with currently available evidence of a New World origin and early diversification of Sarcophaga. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flesh-fly genus Sarcophaga is extremely diverse and contains ca. 30% of the species in the family Sarcophagidae (∼3000 species). The phylogenetic position of the genus-group taxa Helicobia , Lipoptilocnema , and Peckia remains uncertain with respect to the hyperdiverse Sarcophaga , due to conflicting phylogenetic trees and insufficient sampling in recent studies. We present maximum-likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of 145 species of 48 subgenera of the genus Sarcophaga from all biogeographic regions based on the molecular markers COI, 28 D1–D3 expansion regions, EF1α, and white. Our analyses find ( Lipoptilocnema + Peckia ) as the sister group of the monophyletic Sarcophaga . The genus Helicobia is placed outside Sarcophaga . Our hypotheses suggest that the ancestor shared by Sarcophaga and its sister clade originated in the Neotropical region, and the subsequent range expansion might be related to the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. This study supports the monophyly of most of the subgenera of Sarcophaga included here, and it shows the evolution of this genus to be a rapid radiation occurring in the Nearctic region with a subsequent dispersal into the Old World. The subgeneric clusters within Sarcophaga are in agreement with the current classification, with only Mauritiella , Rosellea , Helicophagella , Liosarcophaga , and Sarcorohdendorfia being non-monophyletic. We also validate the monotypic condition of 10 subgenera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sarcophagidae family of fresh flies bears strong importance in the context of forensic entomology due to their application in the estimation of the Post Mortem Interval (PMI). Sarcophaga is the major genus in the Sarcophagidae family and includes cosmopolitan species, which are distributed worldwide. In this communication, we present the analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) of two species from Portugal – S. melanura and S. dux – and one from Brazil – S. ruficornis. The mtDNA of these species range from 14,882 bp to 15,190 bp and have 22 tRNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes (PCG), and two rRNAs distributed along both strands. Our data include the first record of complete Sarcophaga mtDNA sequences from species collected in Portugal and in Brazil. These genomes represent an advance in the understanding about this group, expand the database, and can be used for the development of new markers for species identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]