First Report of B laesoxipha plinthopyga ( D iptera: S arcophagidae) from a Human Corpse in the U . S . A . and a N ew S tate G eographic R ecord Based on Specimen Genotype

Carrion flies in the taxonomic family S arcophagidae 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 C alliphoridae. Faced with a sarcophagid larva that could not be identified microscopically from a death investigation in the state of I daho, we generated cytochrome oxidase one DNA sequence data from the specimen. Comparison to a reference data set of forensically significant sarcophagids from C anada and the U . S . A . confirmed that this was the first discovery of B laesoxipha plinthopyga in a human corpse in the U . S . A . and the first record of this species in I daho. Because B . plinthopyga occurs from the N orthern U . S . A . to the N eotropics, it is potentially useful for estimating time since death at many locations.