The Society for the study of flies (Diptera)

Hi All,

My name is Helen Godfrey and I am a Ph.D student at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston. I am part of the School of Forensic and Investigative Sciences - Forensic Genetics Group. My research aims to identify UK Calliphoridae species through the use of genetics.

As several Calliphoridae species are the first to be attracted to a decomposing body, their presence and age at a crime scene can be used in forensic investigations to estimate the post mortem interval. The main problem in this field is the difficulty in identifying species using morphological characteristics. Closely related species, fragmented samples and egg and larval specimens are very difficult to identify. It is hoped that the use of genetics to identify these species will overcome these issues.

My project involves conducting DNA sequencing experiments in order to find regions which differ between species and can be used for identification purposes. So far I have collected data from 9 different regions, some of which look very promising!

The main problem I have, is that my sample set has so far been collected from a very narrow geographical range (mainly from the North-west) and thus, I have a very limited idea of the true level of genetic variation that exists between species.

The main reason for posting on here is to ask if anyone would be willingly to collect specimens this summer to form part of my sample set. All samples, (not just Calliphoridae species) will be gratefully received, as these could be used as reference samples and for exclusion purposes.

If anyone is interested in collecting samples (or would like more information about the project), please e-mail me at : HGodfrey@uclan.ac.uk.

Collection packs and full instructions will be provided.

Kind Regards,
Helen