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![Examples of larval habitus of Trogidae, Nicrophorinae (Silphidae), Histeridae and Staphylinidae. a Larva of Trogidae. Lateral habitus of Trox perlatus (after Scholtz and Lumaret [47]). b Larva of Nicrophorinae (Silphidae). Dorsal habitus of Nicrophorus vespilloides (after Růžička [53]). c Larva of Histeridae. Dorsal habitus of Saprinus sp. d Head and thoracic segments of a larva of Saprinus sp. (Histeridae) in lateral view. e Larva of Staphylinidae. Dorsal habitus of Creophillus maxillosus at abdominal tergite with four lobes or spines, leg leg, uro urogomphus](publication/326818807/figure/fig1/AS:960123186970656@1605922614810/Examples-of-larval-habitus-of-Trogidae-Nicrophorinae-Silphidae-Histeridae-and.png)
Examples of larval habitus of Trogidae, Nicrophorinae (Silphidae), Histeridae and Staphylinidae. a Larva of Trogidae. Lateral habitus of Trox perlatus (after Scholtz and Lumaret [47]). b Larva of Nicrophorinae (Silphidae). Dorsal habitus of Nicrophorus vespilloides (after Růžička [53]). c Larva of Histeridae. Dorsal habitus of Saprinus sp. d Head and thoracic segments of a larva of Saprinus sp. (Histeridae) in lateral view. e Larva of Staphylinidae. Dorsal habitus of Creophillus maxillosus at abdominal tergite with four lobes or spines, leg leg, uro urogomphus
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Several necrophagous Coleoptera species are frequently collected on cadavers, may occasionally act as intermediate or paratenic hosts of parasites, as vectors of pathogens or as allergens, and can also represent major pests of preserved animal products. However, despite their medical, veterinary and economic importance, there is a lack of reliable...
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Medico-legal entomology belongs to forensic science and uses insect evidence related to the body as scientific evidence in court. From 1994 to 2019, Korean papers related to medico-legal entomology were reviewed. Total 9 dissertations, 11 master' thesis, 38 articles were counted, however most of them had no specialized background on insects and wer...
While the earliest record of forensic entomology originated in China, related research did not start in China until the 1990s. In this paper, we review the recent research progress on the species identification, temperature-dependent development, faunal succession, and entomological toxicology of sarcosaprophagous insects as well as common applicat...
Blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) are of great importance in forensic entomology and in determining the minimum post-mortem interval, as they may be the first group of insects to colonize decomposing remains. Reliable species identification is an essential prerequisite. Classically, morphological characters or DNA sequences are used for this purpo...
There is increasing emphasis on the use of new analytical approaches in subject analysis and classification, particularly in respect to minimal sample preparation. Here, we demonstrate that rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (REIMS), a method that captures metabolite mass spectra after rapid combustive degradation of an intact biologica...
Citations
... Other Diptera were identified at least at the family level using Szpila (2010) and Marshall et al. (2016). Díaz-Aranda et al. (2018) were used to identify Coleoptera larvae. Adult sap beetles were identified using the website "Die Käfer Europas" Duff (2012). ...
Succession patterns of carrion insects on large mammal’s carrion has been widely studied, notably to estimate the post-mortem interval in forensic investigations as accurately as possible. However, little attention has been paid to the carrion insects living inside these bones once a carcass is skeletonized. One very recent study documented flies emerging from pig carcasses, and only scarce authors reported the presence of other carrion insects taking advantage of the bone marrow. We, thus, aimed to (1) estimate the frequency of inner-bone space colonization by carrion insects, with particular attention to bone-skipper flies; (2) identify the insects living inside the carrion bones; and (3) determine whether or not carrion insects found within the bones can successfully exit the bones and complete their development. We extensively sampled 185 large mammals’ bones collected from twelve vulture feeding stations and four isolated carcasses in southwest France and northern Spain. Sampled bones were opened, and the insects found inside were identified. For two bones, foramen, i.e., the holes providing a natural entrance and exit to the bone’s inner cavity, was monitored with a camera to assess the insect’s putative exit. We describe the entomofauna, i.e., the set of insect species, living within the bones, and illustrate insects’ ability to exit the bones for their subsequent development and maturity. These results are discussed in the framework of carrion insect conservation and forensic entomology perspectives.
... In general, other necrophagous beetles appear with the colonization of flies and disappear with the postfeeding of maggots, so there is only a limited window for the improved estimation of PMI min compared with flies. The Nitidulidae are mainly saprophagous, and their small size makes it difficult for their offspring to be located and identified by investigators [12]. Similar to the Dermestidae, the Cleridae can also feed on hard and dry carcass tissues, but the Cleridae are also predatory [4], and the variability in food availability may lead to differences between the developmental rates of their larvae on site versus developmental data collected under experimental conditions. ...
... The bodies of fly larvae are very soft, almost completely lacking sclerotization, and are devoid of many morpho logical features, and their age is thus determined by changes in the length of their body (Adams andHall 2003, Bugelli et al. 2016). On the other hand, beetle larvae are usually at least partly sclero tized, can be larger, and their age can be traditionally estimated only to specific intervals defined as instars (Novák et al. 2017, Díaz et al. 2018, Jakubec et al. 2018. The specific instars are characterized by morphological (including color) or morphometrical features (of rigid structures) because the total body length in beetle larvae can dramatically change based on various factors, e.g., the amount of food ingested (often observed by the authors). ...
... Furthermore, some beetle species can be so similar that the only differences are represented by different pigmentation (Díaz et al. 2018, Jakubec et al. 2018. For example, Thanatophilus rugosus (Linnaeus, 1758), T. sinuatus (Fabricius, 1775), and Necrodes littoralis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Silphinae) larvae look alike in terms of bodily form but are different in terms of coloration, especially on their dorsal plates and legs (Byzova 1964, Díaz et al. 2018, Jakubec et al. 2018. ...
... Furthermore, some beetle species can be so similar that the only differences are represented by different pigmentation (Díaz et al. 2018, Jakubec et al. 2018. For example, Thanatophilus rugosus (Linnaeus, 1758), T. sinuatus (Fabricius, 1775), and Necrodes littoralis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Silphinae) larvae look alike in terms of bodily form but are different in terms of coloration, especially on their dorsal plates and legs (Byzova 1964, Díaz et al. 2018, Jakubec et al. 2018. They, however, differ in hab itat preferences and times of activity (Růžička and Jakubec 2016). ...
Proper fixing and long-term preservation of entomological evidence are essential in collections and research and crucial in applied fields such as forensic entomology. Incorrectly stored samples may lose important morphological features over time, rendering molecular analyses exceedingly difficult. The most effective method for preserving soft samples such as larvae is fluid preservation. It uses a combination of a wide range of fixatives and storage fluids. However, very little comparative work has been done to determine the effects of long-term storage on sample quality in terms of color, shape, and DNA stability. Moreover, the current golden standard in forensic entomology has been tailored for age estimation of larvae of Diptera, which differ from larvae of Coleoptera in morphology and subsequently in applied methods. We compared the effects of combinations of 6 commonly used fixatives and 6 commonly used storage fluids on midsized larvae of the forensically important beetle, Necrodes littoralis (Linnaeus, 1758), in terms of color, shape, and suitability for DNA analyses over a 2-yr period. We were looking for combinations that can preserve specimens in a satisfactory state, can be used on a regular basis, do not require advanced protection or skills of the personnel, and are not toxic or too harmful to the environment. We found not only several methods that scored significantly better in the tested parameters compared with the golden standard but also several common methods that should be avoided. The effects of agents on each tested category are discussed in detail.
... At present, the study of Nitidulidae in forensic medicine is limited to taxonomy (mainly the identification of adults and mature larvae). Torres et al. [64] and Cao et al. [65] described the morphology of mature larvae and adults of Omosita colon (Linnaeus, 1758); Perris et al. [66] and Ortloff et al. [67] described the morphology of mature larvae of Nitidula carnaria (Schaller 1783); Diaz-Aranda et al. [68] described the morphology of mature larvae of Nitidula flavomaculata (Rossi 1790), O. colon, and N. carnaria; and Williams et al. [69] compared the morphology of adults and mature larvae of Omosita nearctica (Kirejtshuk 1987) and O. colon. Up to now, the developmental studies on Nitidulidae for the estimation of PMI min are limited to developmental models of O. colon (Wang et al. [11]) and preliminary data on the life cycle of N. carnaria (Zanetti et al. [70]). ...
... The morphological description and cluster analysis of the three larval instars in this study were conducive to the discrimination of the instars of N. rufipes larvae. It was also helpful to distinguish the larvae from other species of Nitidulidae and necrophagous beetles on carcasses, thus providing valuable information for forensic entomology studies and case investigations [67,68]. ...
... Supplementary Materials: The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https: //www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/insects14030299/s1, Table S1: Development data of N. rufipes, Table S2: Larval body length data of N. rufipes, Table S3: The widths of head capsules data of N. rufipes, Table S4: The distance of urogomphi data of N. rufipes, Table S5: Nitidulidae with species identified, and their ecological niche information in nearly 30 years of succession studies and case reports in forensic entomology [28,59,[67][68][69]71,. ...
Coleoptera, including the family Nitidulidae, are valuable for estimating long-term postmortem intervals in the late stage of body decomposition. This study showed that, under seven constant temperatures of 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, and 34 °C, the developmental durations of Nitidula rufipes (Linnaeus, 1767) from oviposition to eclosion were 71.0 ± 4.4, 52.9 ± 4.1, 40.1 ± 3.4, 30.1 ± 2.1, 24.2 ± 2.0, 21.0 ±2.3, and 20.8 ± 2.4 days, respectively. The morphological indexes of body length, the widths of the head capsules, and the distance between the urogomphi of the larvae were measured in vivo. The regression model between larval body length and developmental durations was simulated for larval aging, and the head capsule width and the distance between the urogomphi at different instars were cluster-analyzed for instar discrimination. Based on the developmental durations, larval body length and thermal summation data were obtained, and the isomorphen diagram, isomegalen diagram, linear thermal summation models, and curvilinear Optim SSI models were established. The lower developmental threshold and thermal summation constant of N. rufipes evaluated by the linear thermal summation models were 9.65 ± 0.62 °C and 471.40 ± 25.46 degree days, respectively. The lower developmental thresholds, intrinsic optimum temperature, and upper lethal developmental threshold obtained by Optim SSI models were 10.12, 24.15, and 36.00 °C, respectively. The study of the immature stages of N. rufipes can provide preliminary basic developmental data for the estimation of minimum postmortem interval (PMImin). However, more extensive studies are needed on the effects of constant and fluctuating temperatures on the development of N. rufipes.
... At the scene, larvae, pupae and puparium were collected from the body and coverings and fixed in 96% ethanol. Adults were pinned and identified as Dermestes maculatus and Chrysomya albiceps with the help of keys (Flores and Wolff 2009;Díaz-Aranda et al. 2018). The oldest larval stage of D. maculatus was determined by measuring its head width and total length with an Olympus SZ61 stereomicroscope. ...
Insects attracted to cadavers can be used to estimate postmortem interval (PMI). In this study, inmature stages and adults of
Dermestes maculatus and Chrysomya albiceps were collected in association with a human cadaver in a closed aquatic environment
in Caquetá, Colombia, and analyzed to determine the PMI. We also conducted an experiment with a pig carcass to estimate the emersion time, which began three days after carcass submersion. The minimum PMI was 481.5 hours. Time of death,
time of emersion and period of insect activity matched the actions of the murder suspects, who confessed to murdering the victim 25 days prior to the discovery of the body.
... Depending on the storage of the cadavers, some insects died by cold in the freezer at − 20 • C and others were still alive during dissection and then killed by transferring them in ethanol. For taxonomic identification, the following literature was used: Klausnitzer, 2005 [39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46]. ...
Human-driven biodiversity loss is progressively becoming a problem with dramatic consequences for the conservation of vital ecosystems. The increasing number of illegal killings of the grey wolf (Canis lupus, Linnaeus, 1758), a threatened species, displays the need for investigation and prosecution of such offences. Forensic entomology makes use of the knowledge about necrophagous insects to estimate a minimum time-since-death interval of the deceased person or animal, which can give important information on a possible perpetrator. The cadaver fauna along five decomposition stages of wolves in Germany was investigated in the period 2014-2021. The insects from 70 wolf cadavers, originating from all over Germany, were provided by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin. The accumulated degree day (ADD) model was applied for the post-mortem interval estimation on wolf cadavers for the first time. A total of 20 coleopteran species and 14 different dipteran species were discovered and identified. Almost 99% of all insect specimens were from the order of Diptera, and beetles (Coleoptera) accounted for only 1% of the cadaver fauna. The blowflies (Calliphoridae) are of particular importance for forensic issues, accounting for about 66% of all families. Carrion beetles (Silphidae) were found as the second most abundant family (about 21%). In addition, combining all cases, a steadily increasing insect species richness S was detected from early decay to advanced decay (fresh S = 8; bloated S = 12; active decay S = 21; advanced decay S = 34). In the following remains stage, the species number decreased again (S = 24). However, no significant difference in the number of species was found between the stages of decay when the cases were considered individually. The temporal pattern of insect appearance was found to be congruent with those of previous studies. Furthermore, a time of death was determined for each case and compared to the pathologist's estimates. This study provides insights into the arthropod fauna of wolf remains for the first time, applies the ADD-Model for post-mortem interval estimation, and discusses the suitability of forensic entomology for wildlife death investigations.
... Adult beetles and flies as well as beetle larvae were killed by freezing at -20 °C and afterwards stored in 96% ethanol. Species identification was performed on the basis of morphological characters with the current systematic literature [20][21][22][23] and voucher specimens from the Institute of Legal Medicine Frankfurt/Germany. Where no reliable identification based on morphological characteristics was possible, the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene was analysed. ...
... hot and dry environment, rapid mummification of a body, absence of other necrophagous insects, they can also colonize a body in huge numbers in summer [68]. More information on the biology, i.e. developmental rates, seasonal activity and the importance in legal investigation, can be found in [23,[67][68][69][70]. ...
This study highlights the importance of insect evidence by evaluating 949 insect-associated cases, including 139 entomological reports, from 2001 to 2019 at the Institute of Legal Medicine Frankfurt/Germany. With a high number of cases in the summer months and a low number in the colder season, 78.5% of the bodies were found indoors, regardless of year or month. In more than 80% of the cases, where PMI information was available (n = 704), the presumed PMI ranged from 1 to 21 days, a period during which entomological evidence can provide a day-specific estimate of PMI min . In cases where insects have been identified to species level (n = 279), most bodies were infested by one or two species with a maximum of 10 different species. Overall, a total of 55 insect species were found. Information on biology, activity and distribution of the most abundant taxa is given and applied for 5 case histories estimating different PMI min s of up to over 6 months. Despite proved importance and scientific development of forensic entomology, insects are still rarely considered as a tool in forensic case work. The main reasons are a lack of awareness and (too) late involvement of a forensic entomologist. Our work shows that forensic entomology is an independent discipline that requires specialist expertise.
... This area is much less developed in the case of the forensically important beetles. There is just a single identification key for the larvae of beetles that colonize cadavers [166] and a single key for the adult carrion beetles (Silphidae) that frequent cadavers [167]. Although some descriptions of larval identification features have been published for forensically important species [168,169], this group needs more attention. ...
During death investigations insects are used mostly to estimate the post-mortem interval (PMI). These estimates are only as good as they are close to the true PMI. Therefore, the major challenge for forensic entomology is to reduce the estimation inaccuracy. Here, I review literature in this field to identify research areas that may contribute to the increase in the accuracy of PMI estimation. I conclude that research on the development and succession of carrion insects, thermogenesis in aggregations of their larvae and error rates of the PMI estimation protocols should be prioritized. Challenges of educational and promotional nature are discussed as well, particularly in relation to the collection of insect evidence.
... In other countries, forensic entomologists have established useful keys for the morphological identification of forensically important insects [36][37][38][39]. These identification keys facilitate more detailed and species-specific knowledge of relevant species for forensic entomology experiments and real cases [36]. ...
While the earliest record of forensic entomology originated in China, related research did not start in China until the 1990s. In this paper, we review the recent research progress on the species identification, temperature-dependent development, faunal succession, and entomological toxicology of sarcosaprophagous insects as well as common applications of forensic entomology in China. Furthermore, the difficulties and challenges forensic entomologists face in China are analyzed and possible countermeasures are presented.
... The morphological character states listed in Table 3 may be used to differentiate the mature larva of O. nearctica from that of O. colon, the only other species of Omosita for which the larva has been described (Eichelbaum 1903;Verhoeff 1923;Hinton 1945;Böving and Rozen 1962;Hayashi 1978;Díaz-Aranda et al. 2018). The description of the urogomphi of O. colon by Hayashi (1978) differs from the description by Díaz-Aranda et al. (2018). ...
... The morphological character states listed in Table 3 may be used to differentiate the mature larva of O. nearctica from that of O. colon, the only other species of Omosita for which the larva has been described (Eichelbaum 1903;Verhoeff 1923;Hinton 1945;Böving and Rozen 1962;Hayashi 1978;Díaz-Aranda et al. 2018). The description of the urogomphi of O. colon by Hayashi (1978) differs from the description by Díaz-Aranda et al. (2018). Hayashi (1978) describes them as short and Díaz-Aranda et al. (2018) states they are half the length of the ninth tergite which appears to be more accurate (Fig 9b). ...
... The description of the urogomphi of O. colon by Hayashi (1978) differs from the description by Díaz-Aranda et al. (2018). Hayashi (1978) describes them as short and Díaz-Aranda et al. (2018) states they are half the length of the ninth tergite which appears to be more accurate (Fig 9b). It must be noted that the pregomphi and urogomphi are all referred to as urogomphi by Díaz-Aranda et al. (2018). ...
Sap beetles of the genus Omosita Erichson are stored-product pests that are also associated with carrion, potentially making them biosecurity risks and forensic tools. The discovery of a specimen of the Nearctic species Omosita nearctica Kirejtshuk in South Africa prompted an investigation a decade later to determine if this species had established itself in the country, which was confirmed by the collection of further breeding specimens that also facilitated the first description of mature larvae of O. nearctica . A new key to adults of all Omosita species is presented.
