Molecular Species Identification of Forensically Important Flies in Korea.

Park, Seong Hwan; Shin, Sang Eon

doi:2013.37.4.177

Korean J Leg Med > Volume 37(4); 2013 > Article

Review article

Korean Journal of Legal Medicine 2013;37(4):177-182.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7580/kjlm.2013.37.4.177 Published online November 30, 2013.

Molecular Species Identification of Forensically Important Flies in Korea.

Seong Hwan Park, Sang Eon Shin

Department of Legal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. kuforen@gmail.com

Abstract

To estimate the postmortem interval (PMI) by using entomological evidence, species identification of forensically important flies is mandatory. However, the traditional species identification method, which relies on the key morphological features of adult flies, is not always available to investigators and has limitations to the immature samples. Because of these limitations, species identification using DNA sequences has long been an issue in the field of forensic entomology. In this review, I have briefly described the basic principles of molecular species identification and phylogenetic analysis and their applications in forensic entomology. I also recommend an experimental and statistical method to identify unknown fly samples obtained from the field.

Key Words: Forensic science, Entomology, Species specificity, Phylogenetic DNA barcode