Ophthalmomyiasis Case Caused by Two Blow Fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Species in North America.

Ophthalmomyiasis is the result of fly larvae feeding on the tissues of the eye. Commonly associated with poor hygiene and open wounds, this condition is rare and often stigmatized. Treatment can be straightforward, and full recovery is common. Identifying the species responsible for ophthalmomyiasis is important for the medical, forensic, and entomological communities. Here, we present a case of ophthalmomyiasis where 30-40 blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) larvae were removed from the eye of a human male. A representative subsample of five larvae was used for taxonomic identification via two approaches (a) DNA analysis, via sequencing of the complete mitochondrial genome (mtGenome) and comparison of the mtGenome and mitochondrial COI barcode region to GenBank, and (b) morphology, examination of the posterior spiracles using microscopy, and comparison to published larval descriptions of blow flies. Two species of blow flies were identified from the DNA analysis: Lucilia coeruleiviridis and Phormia regina. Morphological examination could only confirm L. coeruleiviridis as being present. To our knowledge, finding two blow fly species causing ophthalmomyiasis in a single individual has not been previously reported in the scientific literature. Neither P. regina nor L. coeruleiviridis prefers living tissue for larva development, but since they fill similar ecological niches, perhaps this was a show of competition rather than a normal feeding habit. Knowing these blow fly species can resort to this behavior, and that it can affect human populations, is valuable to the education of patients and providers.

Developing a vocabulary and ontology for modeling insect natural history data: example data, use cases, and competency questions.

Insects are possibly the most taxonomically and ecologically diverse class of multicellular organisms on Earth. Consequently, they provide nearly unlimited opportunities to develop and test ecological and evolutionary hypotheses. Currently, however, large-scale studies of insect ecology, behavior, and trait evolution are impeded by the difficulty in obtaining and analyzing data derived from natural history observations of insects. These data are typically highly heterogeneous and widely scattered among many sources, which makes developing robust information systems to aggregate and disseminate them a significant challenge. As a step towards this goal, we report initial results of a new effort to develop a standardized vocabulary and ontology for insect natural history data. In particular, we describe a new database of representative insect natural history data derived from multiple sources (but focused on data from specimens in biological collections), an analysis of the abstract conceptual areas required for a comprehensive ontology of insect natural history data, and a database of use cases and competency questions to guide the development of data systems for insect natural history data. We also discuss data modeling and technology-related challenges that must be overcome to implement robust integration of insect natural history data.

First North American record of the Palaearctic rhinophorid Stevenia deceptoria (Loew) (Diptera: Rhinophoridae).

The Rhinophoridae (Diptera) have a cosmopolitan distribution and a known fauna of about 150 species (Cerretti & Pape 2007). So far as known, all species are parasitoids of terrestrial woodlice (sow bugs) of the order Isopoda (Oniscoidea) (Pape 2010). Female rhinophorids lay eggs in the vicinity of potential hosts and the planidial first instars parasitize sow bugs as they pass by (Pape 1998).

DNA-based identification of forensically important Lucilia (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in the continental United States.

Correct species identification is critical when dipteran larvae are used for inference of the postmortem interval. To facilitate DNA-based identification of forensically important flies of the genus Lucilia in the continental United States, we develop a vouchered reference collection and DNA sequence database. A total of 122 specimens were collected for nine of the 10 species of Lucilia reported to occur in the continental United States. Using the polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing, data were obtained for an 1100-bp region of the mitochondrial gene encoding cytochrome oxidase I (COI). We consider a species suitable for DNA-based identification if it is exclusively monophyletic in >95% of bootstrap pseudoreplicate phylogenetic analyses. Seven of the nine species meet that criterion. Two species (Lucilia coeruleiviridis and Lucilia mexicana) share COI sequence and cannot be distinguished using our reference database. We conclude that DNA-based identification is likely to be successful for the other seven species.

mtDNA-based identification of Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) and Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in the continental United States.

Existing data suggest that the forensically important dipteran species Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) and Lucilia sericata (Meigen) may be particularly difficult to discriminate using DNA sequence data. L. cuprina is paraphyletic with respect to L. sericata in mtDNA phylogenies, with some L. cuprina having mtDNA haplotypes that are very similar to those of L. sericata. We examine this problem by providing the first DNA data for L. cuprina from North America, including portions of both the mitochondrial COI gene and the nuclear 28S rRNA gene. With the new data, L. cuprina remains monophyletic for 28S but paraphyletic with respect to L. sericata for COI. However, we find that all flies that are identified as L. cuprina by morphology and have L. sericata-like mtDNA form a distinctly monophyletic mtDNA clade. This clade may possibly have originated by hybridization between L. cuprina and L. sericata, but its wide geographic distribution strongly suggests a singular origin as opposed to repeated incidents of hybridization. The phylogenetic results strongly support the hypothesis that L. cuprina and L. sericata can be discriminated using mtDNA sequence data. We find that a fragment of COI spanning approximately 1200 base pairs is sufficient to discriminate between the two species with greater than 95% bootstrap support.