Forensic assessment of cuticular hydrocarbons of saprophagous scuttle fly, Spiniphora genitalis Schmitz, 1940 (Diptera: Phoridae) larvae using untargeted profiling via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and chemometric methods

Spiniphora genitalis Schmitz, 1940 (Diptera: Phoridae) being one of the main specialized decomposers of mollusc carrions could be a valuable forensic indicator in determining the minimum postmortem interval. However, reliable species identification of S. genitalis remains challenging. Hence, the work aims to explore the potential of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) profiles of S. genitalis in larval age estimation and species discrimination against Magaselia scalaris (Loew 1866). The CHCs profiles were acquired via a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Then, the pixel-level total ion chromatograms (TICs) were explored by species and age via scores plots of principal component analysis (PCA) and K-means clustering algorithm. The results show the CHCs profiles of larvae were well clustered by species and age. In conclusion, CHC profiles of S. genitalis could be useful in species determination and larval age estimation. The study affirms the potential of CHCs of S. gentalis in forensic investigations.