| Summary: | Forensic entomology commonly utilizes the development of the oldest dipterous specimens on cadavers to estimate the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin). Even though the pupal stage holds the longest developmental duration in the life cycle of Diptera, information related to pupal development as biological chronometry for forensic application is extremely scarce. This insufficiency can be overcome by describing intrapuparial development based on the events that happen during metamorphosis within the puparium. The objective of this study was to describe pupal development of Spiniphora genitalis Schmitz, 1940 (Diptera: Phoridae) at room temperature based on intrapuparial development. Spiniphora genitalis larvae were obtained from a stock colony maintained at the Forensic Entomology Laboratory, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia and reared on cow’s liver at an ambient room temperature of 25°C – 37°C. At the onset of pupariation, the pupae were sampled at three-, six-, and 12-hour intervals, and subsequently subjected to removal of the puparium and stereomicroscopic analysis. From this study, a total of 14 developmental stages were successfully established for S. genitalis female pupa, with total intrapuparial development of 240 – 252 hours before emerging into an adult. Intrapuparial morphology key characteristics were also established indicating compound eye colors, combined with other characteristics, can be the most useful marker to age the pupa for PMImin estimation in forensic entomology. © 2024, Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. All rights reserved.
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