Uso da modelagem ecológica para predição da distribuição geográfica potencial de espécies da família Calliphoridae (Diptera) de importância forense no Nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

Forensic entomology studies insects and other arthropods related to legal issues. In Brazil, entomological research focused on the forensic area has been more and more frequent, especially in the northeastern region. Brazil is one of the richiest countries in the world concerning biodiversity, and this is reflected in the cadaveric fauna, and, together with the peculiarities of national biomes, there is an urgent need for regional entomological surveys. Database creation and estimation of potential species distribution can provide important data to forensic entomological studies, especially in cases of cadaver displacement, data for IPM, in addition to assisting fauna survey research and species identification. The main objective of this study is to determine the potential distribution of fly species of Calliphoridae of forensic interest in the northeastern region of Brazil. A literature survey was conducted on the records and distribution of caliphorids in journals’ databases. The data obtained were used to elaborate a database of flies of Calliphoridae and production of ecological models based on maxent medel using environmental variables (temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, wind speed, water vapor pressure, elevation and bioclimatic variables). The analyses showed that Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819) and C. megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) were the most recorded species in northeastern Brazil, presenting the widest distributions. The variables that most influence the models were the wind and the results, generating in Maranhão and Pernambuco the highest species richness This study synthesizes biological, taxonomic and ecological information that can help future researchs and the application of forensic entomology in the judicial sphere.