Faunistic Analysis of Calliphoridae and Mesembrinellidae (Diptera: Oestroidea) at Different Stages of Bovine Liver Decomposition in the State of Rio de Janeiro

Performing quantitative sampling and determining faunistic analyses of dipterans is of fundamental importance in the analysis of ecological behavior, such as population dynamics and diversity, among other factors, for exotic and native species of necrophagous dipterans, so it is important to observe the type of bait used in traps to capture these dipteran species. This work aims to study structural parameters and faunistic indices of the diversity of Calliphoridae and Mesembrinellidae species as well as the abundance and diversity of species attracted to liver in two stages of decomposition: fresh liver and liver at 48 h of putrefaction. A total of 2826 dipterans were collected during the period from May 2021 to February 2022. We observed that liver in decomposition for 48 h was more attractive in the forest and rural environments, while fresh liver showed greater attractiveness in the urban environment; however, no statistical difference was evidenced between the attractiveness in the different environments. The Mesembrinellidae family and the species Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann, 1819) were collected mostly from deteriorated liver, while Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius, 1775) showed no preference for any liver decomposition stage. The Wilcoxon test indicated that there is a significant difference between the preferences for putrefied bait in Mesembrinellidae, while in Calliphoridae, there was no preference for type of bait. The faunistic analysis showed that richness in the forest area was always higher when compared to the urban and rural areas. Laneela nigripes (Guimaraes, 1977) and Mesembrinella bellardiana (Aldrich, 1922) were abundant and exclusive in the preserved environment, showing themselves to be good environmental bioindicators.

Automated summary

Performing quantitative sampling and faunistic analysis of dipterans is important for studying population dynamics and diversity. This study compared the attractiveness of fresh and decomposed liver as bait for capturing dipteran species. The results showed that decomposed liver was more attractive in forest and rural environments, while fresh liver was more attractive in urban environments. The faunistic analysis revealed higher species richness in the forest area, and Laneela nigripes and Mesembrinella bellardiana were identified as good bioindicators in undisturbed environments.