Sapecin B, an antibacterial protein of Sarcophaga peregrina, was divided into four peptides. A hendecapeptide derived from its helix region was found to have comparable antibacterial activity with that of the complete protein. This peptide had a much wider spectrum of antimicrobial activity than that of sapecin B, exhibiting activity on not only Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and Escheri...

The female reproductive organs of Sarcophaga ruficornis F. (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) consists of paired ovaries, lateral oviducts, a common oviduct, three spermathecae and paired accessory glands. Each ovary is formed of about 45-53 polytrophic ovarioles. The epithelium of lateral oviduct is formed of syncytial cells overlaid by longitudinal and circular muscle fibers. The common oviduct has syn...

Carrion-breeding insects, such as flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), can be used as evidence in forensic investigations. Despite their considerable forensic potential, their use has been limited because morphological species identification, at any life stage, is very challenging. This study investigated whether DNA could be extracted and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) barcode sequences o...

We purified a novel serine protease with a molecular mass of 26 kDa from Sarcophaga pupae. This protease appeared almost exclusively in the yellow body, an organ that develops temporarily in the pupae of dipteran insects and expands to form the adult midgut by engulfing the larval midgut. cDNA analysis revealed that this protease consists of 239 amino acid residues and has significant structura...