Data from: Carrion fly-derived DNA as a tool for comprehensive and cost-effective assessment of mammalian biodiversity

Large-scale monitoring schemes are essential in assessing global mammalian
biodiversity, and in this framework leeches have recently been promoted as
an indirect source of DNA from terrestrial mammal species. Carrion feeding
flies are ubiquitous and can be expected to feed on many vertebrate
carcasses. Hence, we tested whether fly-derived DNA analysis may also
serve as a novel tool for mammalian diversity surveys. We screened DNA
extracted from 201 carrion flies collected in tropical habitats of Côte
d’Ivoire and Madagascar for mammal DNA using multiple PCR systems and
retrieved DNA sequences from a diverse set of species (22 in Côte
d’Ivoire, 4 in Madagascar) exploiting distinct forest strata and
displaying a broad range of body sizes. Deep-sequencing of amplicons
generated from pools of flies performed equally well as individual
sequencing approaches. We conclude that the analysis of fly-derived DNA
can be implemented in a very rapid and cost-effective manner and will give
a relatively unbiased picture of local mammal diversity. Carrion flies
therefore represent an extraordinary and thus far unexploited resource of
mammal DNA, which will likely prove useful for future inventories of wild
mammal communities.