Forensically Relevant Flesh Flies (Diptera, Sarcophagidae, Sarcophaginae) of Southern Brazil

Flesh flies comprise a large fly family distributed worldwide that has great importance for forensic entomology. A robust and updated checklist of Sarcophaginae flies recorded in Southern Brazil is presented, based on material collected in the Rio Grande do Sul state and on a literature review. The forensic importance (high, moderate, or none) of the recorded flesh flies for estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) or inferring cases of neglect was determined based on their ecological habits. A total of 2,831 specimens representing 38 taxa were collected from three studies. Oxysarcodexia was the most abundant and species-rich genus in all three studies. Dexosarcophaga carvalhoi (Lopes) was registered for the first time in Southern Brazil. The checklist for Southern Brazil comprises 91 species distributed in 19 genera, with Oxysarcodexia, Peckia, and Lepidodexia representing the richest genera. Considering the importance of species for PMI estimation, 10, 42, and 39 species were classified as having high, moderate, or no forensic relevance, respectively. Moreover, five myiasis-causing sarcophagine flies recorded in Southern Brazil were considered to have the potential to reveal cases of neglect or mistreatment. This study revealed that Microcerella halli (Engel) and Peckia (Euboettcheria) australis (Townsend) are the most important species for PMI estimation in Southern Brazil, as they are often found breeding in corpses in this region.

Diptera (Dryomyzidae, Fanniidae, Muscidae, Piophilidae) Associated With Pig Carcasses in a Forest Habitat of Poland: Sex-Related Patterns of Visitation and Effectiveness of Sampling Methods

Our knowledge on many necrophilous dipterans was limited for a long time mainly due to taxonomic issues. Therefore, findings on the sex-related associations with pig carcasses in Dryomyzidae, Fanniidae, Muscidae, and Piophilidae are presented. Moreover, the effectiveness of pitfall traps and sweep nets in fly sampling were compared, since the correct method of collecting insects is critical for the development and application of entomological tools for forensic purposes. The trapped numbers of all species differed significantly in respect to both sexes. The sex ratios were strongly female-biased in most species of Muscidae and in Fanniidae. More females were also collected in Piophilidae, but the proportion of males was higher when compared to muscids. Within Dryomyzidae, the sex ratio differed according to species. Only Dryomyza flaveola (Fabricius, 1794) (Diptera: Dryomyzidae) and Muscina pascuorum (Meigen, 1826) (Diptera: Muscidae) had male-biased sex ratios. Differences in residency patterns between sexes in Stearibia nigriceps (Meigen, 1826) (Diptera: Piophilidae), Liopiophila varipes (Meigen, 1830) (Diptera: Piophilidae), and D. flaveola were statistically insignificant. All studied species were recorded for each sampling method. The effect of the sampling method on the number of individuals was statistically significant for all dipterans but Piophilidae. Pitfall traps outcompeted the aerial sweep net in representing Dryomyzidae and Muscidae, whereas both methods were almost equally effective in the collection of Piophilidae. A varied effectiveness of sampling methods was observed in Fanniidae. The sampling method significantly affected the determination of the appearance time of flies on carcasses, but the effect of species and sampling method was insignificant. Implications for forensic entomology are discussed.

Is Forensic Entomology Lost in Space?

Spatial and scale effects have barely been considered in forensic entomology, despite their pervasive influence on most of the parameters affecting the development of insect larval stages and the progression of insect succession on cadavers. Here, we used smoothing/interpolation techniques and semivariograms to document the spatial dynamics of sarcosaprophageous Calliphoridae, an important forensic taxon, in the Greater Moncton area in New Brunswick, Canada. Results indicated that the spatial dynamics of Calliphoridae differed between species, some species showing strong patterns of regional aggregation while others did not. Multivariate spatial correlations indicated that interspecific relationships in space varied widely, ranging from local and large-scale aggregation to spatial anticorrelation between species. Overall, this study suggested that even within a restricted timescale, the spatial dynamics of Calliphoridae can operate at many scales, manifest in different patterns, and be attributed to multiple different causes. We stress that forensic entomology has much to benefit from the use of spatial analysis because many important forensic questions, both at the fundamental and practical levels, require a spatial solution.

Insect rearing protocols in forensic entomology: Benefits from collective rearing of larvae in a carrion beetle Necrodes littoralis L. (Silphidae)

Forensic entomologists frequently use a developmental method to estimate a post-mortem interval (PMI). Such estimates are based usually on the blow fly larvae or puparia. Data on their development is obtained by rearing them in colonies. In the case of beetles, which can be also useful for PMI estimation, development data is frequently collected by rearing them individually. However, some carrion beetles are gregarious, for instance, Necrodes littoralis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Silphidae). We compared mortality, rate of development and body size of emerged adult beetles reared individually and in aggregations. Mortality was much higher for beetles reared individually, particularly at low temperatures. The rearing protocol affected the time of immature development and the size of adult insects. Individually reared specimens developed much longer at 16°C, whereas at 20°C and 26°C development times of individually reared beetles were slightly shorter. Significant differences in the body size were observed only at 16°C; beetles that developed in aggregations were larger at this temperature. These findings demonstrate that aggregating is particularly beneficial for larvae of N. littoralis at low temperatures, where it largely reduces mortality and facilitates growth. Moreover, these results indicate that in forensic entomology the protocol of individual rearing is unsuitable for gregarious beetles, as it produces reference developmental data of low quality.

Importance of entomofauna found in cadavers for Forensic Entomology

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the entomofauna found in cadavers for Forensic Entomology in the following aspects (a) Forensic Entomology in addition to criminal investigation, Medico-Legal Entomology, the entomofauna found in the corpse can provide (b) the identity of the deceased, cause of death, movement body, use of toxins or drugs, in addition to the crime scene, stored products, drug trafficking, ill-treatment, but how Entomology can help to reach the after-death interval. A literature search was carried out containing articles published from 1993 to 2021. The mini review was prepared in Goiânia, Goiás, from September to October 2021, through the. The mini-review was prepared in Goiânia, Goiás, from September to October 2021, through the Online Scientific Library (Scielo), internet, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, Frontiers, Publons, Qeios, Portal of Scientific Journals in Health Sciences, Pubmed, Online Scientific Library (Scielo), internet, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, Frontiers, Biological Abstract, Publons, Qeios, Portal of Scientific Journals in Health Sciences, and Pubmed, Dialnet, World, Wide Science, Springer, RefSeek, Microsoft Academic, Science, ERIC, Science Research.com, SEEK education, Periódicos CAPES, Google Academic, Bioline International, VADLO, Scopus, and Web of Science.

Biology of Sarcophagidae (Diptera): Mini review

The aim of this study is to report the Biology of Sarcophagidae. The mini review consists of bibliographical research on the muscoid dipterans (Muscomorpha) (Order: Diptera). The research was carried out in studies related to quantitative aspects of the Family and Species (taxonomic groups) and in conceptual aspects such as: geographic distribution, biology, traps, life cycle, vector of bacteria and importance in Forensic Entomology. A literature search was carried out containing articles published from 1971 to 2021. The mini review was prepared in Goiânia, Goiás, from August to September 2021, through the Online Scientific Library (Scielo), internet, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, Frontiers, Publons, Qeios and Portal of Scientific Journals in Health Sciences, https://goo.gl/gLTTTs and https://www.growkudos.com/register.

Entomotoxicología Forense En Cadáveres En Estado De Descomposición

Resumen Introducción: la entomotoxicología se enfoca en la aplicación del análisis toxicológico a los insectos que se encuentran en los cadáveres, para identificar la presencia de drogas y toxinas en los tejidos o restos cadavéricos. Objetivo: realizar una revisión sobre la utilidad de la entomotoxicología como herramienta para las Ciencias Forenses, en cadáveres que se encuentran en estado de descomposición avanzada, cuando no es factible la recolección de muestras biológicas. Materiales y métodos: se realizó una búsqueda en Pubmed, Scopus, Scielo y Google Académico con las palabras clave: Forensic entomology / entomología forense, Forensic entomotoxicology / entomotoxicología forense, Criminology / criminología, Forensic toxicology / toxicología forense, Poisoning / envenenamiento y Postmortem interval determination / determinación del intervalo postmortem. Se incluyeron publicaciones de acceso libre, en español e inglés; publicados desde 1992 hasta marzo 2021. Resultados: la búsqueda inicial arrojó 3476 referencias (Pubmed: 50; Scopus: 402; Scielo: 114; Google académico: 2910). Quinientas sesenta y seis publicaciones fueron excluidas por duplicación; 49 fueron incluidas en esta revisión. Conclusiones: los insectos permiten un análisis fiable de toxinas y drogas cuando no es posible realizarlo directamente desde los restos cadavéricos. En Ecuador, se requieren estudios que indaguen la aplicación y desarrollo de esta rama para determinar su precisión y utilidad a nivel local, provincial y regional. A nivel global, se debe expandir la investigación entomotoxicológica en escenarios acuáticos o de incendios; así como el impacto del cambio climático sobre la entomofauna y sus repercusiones en el análisis toxicológico de las distintas especies.