Checklist of forensic Diptera (Insecta) in an urban green space from Minas Gerais, Brazil with new geographic records

Forensic entomology uses insects, particularly Diptera, as evidence in various forensic applications. Some species help estimate post-mortem intervals in criminal investigations, others indicate cases of neglect by signaling poor hygiene conditions, and some serve as bioindicators of environmental quality. Characterizing local fly species distributions is essential for forensic applications, such as post-mortem interval estimation. In Belo Horizonte, a city in Minas Gerais state, Brazil, only one prior study has been conducted, solely focusing on Calliphoridae species while overlooking other families, such as Fanniidae, Muscidae, and Sarcophagidae, which are highly relevant for forensic applications. To address this gap, we collected flies of potential forensic interest at the Ecological Station of "Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais" (EEco UFMG), using fresh beef as bait, during the warm and rainy season. A total of 4,612 flies were collected, with Calliphoridae (N = 3024; 65.5%), Fanniidae (N = 902; 19.5%), Sarcophagidae (N = 353; 8.0%), and Muscidae (N = 240; 5.0%), constituting 98.0% of the collected specimens. The remaining 2% (N = 93) of the specimens belong to 11 families. Thirty-nine species were identified, with Muscidae exhibiting the highest richness (15 species), followed by Sarcophagidae (10), Calliphoridae (9), and Fanniidae (4). Notably, six new geographic records for Minas Gerais state and three for Belo Horizonte city were documented within the Muscidae family. Checklists of fly species of potential forensic interest from unexplored locations, such as the EEco UFMG, contribute to the development of valuable databases for future applications in forensic entomology.