Abstract
Applied entomotoxicology is the study of toxicants found in carrion insects and other matter, such as frass especially when body fluids or tissues cannot be used. The use of necropsy insects in medical and criminal investigations to detect toxicants has been done successfully. This study investigated the effect of the sedative drug zolpedim tartrate on the developmental rate and morphological parameters of the feeding and non‐feeding stages of the carrion insect Sarcophaga peregrina Robineau‐Desvoidy. Five cultures were prepared‐one control and four cultures containing different concentrations of zolpidem tartrate (1, 2, 3, and 4 ppm). A total of 80 larvae were kept in each culture and provided with finely chopped liver containing the respective concentrations daily. The results obtained showed significant variations in the morphological parameters of the feeding and non‐feeding stages, and negatively correlated with the concentrations compared with the control. The developmental time of the feeding and non‐feeding stages positively correlated with the concentration of zolpidem tartrate. The results obtained indicate that zolpidem tartrate retards larval development and alters the estimation of the total developmental duration. When analyzing the entomological evidence of whether zolpidem tartrate may be responsible for death, it is important to consider its effects on PMI estimation.