Carrion flies in the taxonomic family Sarcophagidae are often recovered from a human corpse. However, because such specimens are difficult to identify, the forensic literature on this taxon is quite limited compared with that of the commonly employed Calliphoridae. Faced with a sarcophagid larva that could not be identified microscopically from a death investigation in the state of Idaho, we generated cytochrome oxidase one DNA sequence data from the specimen. Comparison to a reference data set of forensically significant sarcophagids from Canada and the U.S.A. confirmed that this was the first discovery of Blaesoxipha plinthopyga in a human corpse in the U.S.A. and the first record of this species in Idaho. Because B. plinthopyga occurs from the Northern U.S.A. to the Neotropics, it is potentially useful for estimating time since death at many locations.
Keywords: DNA sequence analysis; Idaho; Sarcophagidae; cytochrome oxidase; forensic entomology; forensic science; postmortem interval.
© 2013 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.