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Hu G, Zhang Y, Li L, Wang Y, Guo Y, Shao S, Gao Y, Zhang R, Wang Y, Tao L. New developmental data for Dermestes maculatus (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) from the Yangtze River Delta region of China under different constant temperatures. Sci Justice 2024; 64:377-388. [PMID: 39025563 DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2024.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Necrophagous beetles are sometimes used to estimate the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin) in the decay and remains stages of a corpse. Among these, the Dermestidae is one of the most common groups used and therefore has important research and application value. In this study, the developmental events of Dermestes maculatus de Geer, 1774, were recorded at six constant temperatures, and isomorphen diagrams were established. The thermobiological parameters were estimated using linear and non-linear models, and morphological indicators such as larval body length were measured. The results showed that the developmental duration of the whole immature stage decreased from 66.13 ± 8.58 days at 19 °C to 21.9 ± 2.01 days at 34 °C. The survival rate of the immature stages, especially the egg stage, varies greatly with temperature, with the lowest survival observed at 34 °C and the highest at 22 °C. The lower developmental threshold, the intrinsic optimum temperature, and the upper lethal developmental threshold obtained by the curvilinear Optim SSI models were 15.28 °C, 28.36 °C, and 34.03 °C, respectively. The body length, head capsule width, and pronotum width showed obvious growth patterns with larval developmental duration, which were characterized by equations and isomegalen diagrams. This study provides important basic data for the application of D. maculatus to estimate the PMImin in forensic entomology in the Yangtze River Delta region of China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gengwang Hu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Yanan Zhang
- Luoyang Intermediate People's Court of Henan Province, Zhanlan Road, Luoyang 471000, China
| | - Liangliang Li
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Yinghui Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Yi Guo
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Shipeng Shao
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Yundi Gao
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Ruonan Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China.
| | - Luyang Tao
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Ganjiang East Road, Suzhou 215000, China
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Hu G, Li L, Guo Y, Kang C, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Zhang Z, Wang J, Wang Y. Temperature-Dependent Development of Nitidula rufipes (Linnaeus, 1767) (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) and Its Significance in Estimating Minimum Postmortem Interval. INSECTS 2023; 14:299. [PMID: 36975984 PMCID: PMC10058101 DOI: 10.3390/insects14030299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Yu Wang
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-155-2114-3385
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3
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Madeira-Ott T, Souza CM, Bunde PRS, Ries ACR, Blochtein B, Thyssen PJ. Forensically Relevant Flesh Flies (Diptera, Sarcophagidae, Sarcophaginae) of Southern Brazil. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 59:488-507. [PMID: 34999828 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjab210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tais Madeira-Ott
- Laboratory of Integrative Entomology, Department of Animal Biology, University of Campinas, UNICAMP, PC 13083-862, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carina M Souza
- Faculty of Human Talents, FACTHUS, Campus I, Ecossistema UniBrasília, PC 38040-240, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Paulo R S Bunde
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Federal University of Pelotas, UFPel, PC 96010-900, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Ana C R Ries
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, PUCRS, PC 90619-900, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Betina Blochtein
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, PUCRS, PC 90619-900, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Patricia J Thyssen
- Laboratory of Integrative Entomology, Department of Animal Biology, University of Campinas, UNICAMP, PC 13083-862, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
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Shen X, Jiang Y, Shang Y, Wang Y, Guo S, Guo N, Yang J, Cai J, Guo Y, Zhang C. A Preliminary Study of Necrophagous Flies (Insecta: Diptera) in the Lhasa Region (Qinghai-Tibet Plateau), China. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 59:467-479. [PMID: 34850032 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjab187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Lhasa is located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an altitude of 3,650 m, and a unique geography. Its climate is dry and cold all year round. Forensic entomological studies of the region are scarce. In this study, the diversity and seasonality of necrophagous flies in eight counties among Lhasa region were determined, and succession of necrophagous flies colonizing on rabbits in the Chengguan area of Lhasa was studied, so as to provide reference data for estimating postmortem interval (PMI) and location of death. In total, 22 species of necrophagous flies, belonging to six families were identified in Lhasa. Protophormia terraenovae (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) was the dominant species throughout the year, the diversity index (4.5834) indicated that the study on necrophagous flies in the Lhasa region is representative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Shen
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Yangshuai Jiang
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Yanjie Shang
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Yuanxing Wang
- Public Security Forensic Center of Haidian, Haidian 100000, Beijing, China
| | - Shaojiang Guo
- Public Security Forensic Center of Haidian, Haidian 100000, Beijing, China
| | - Nan Guo
- Public Security Forensic Center of Haidian, Haidian 100000, Beijing, China
| | - Junbo Yang
- Public Security Forensic Center of Haidian, Haidian 100000, Beijing, China
| | - Jifeng Cai
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Yadong Guo
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
| | - Changquan Zhang
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China
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Alotaibi F, Alkuriji M, AlReshaidan S, Alajmi R, Metwally DM, Almutairi B, Alorf M, Haddadi R, Ahmed A. Body Size and Cuticular Hydrocarbons as Larval Age Indicators in the Forensic Blow Fly, Chrysomya albiceps (Diptera: Calliphoridae). JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 58:1048-1055. [PMID: 33274739 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjaa256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann 1819) is one of the most important insects in forensic entomology. Its larval developmental and survival rates are influenced by nutritional resources, temperature, humidity, and geographical regions. The present study investigated the possibility of relying on body size and cuticular hydrocarbon composition as indicators for age estimation of the different larval instars of C. albiceps. Larvae were maintained in standardized laboratory conditions at different experimental temperatures. All larval instars (first, second, and third) were randomly collected for measuring their body sizes and for estimating their cuticular hydrocarbons at different rearing temperatures (30, 35, 40, and 45°C) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results indicated that the duration of larval stage was temperature dependent as it gradually decreased on increasing the rearing temperature (30, 35, and 40°C) except 45°C at which larval development was ceased. In contrary, larval body size, in terms of length, width, and weight, was temperature dependent as it gradually increased with larval development on increasing rearing temperature except at 45°C at which larval development was ceased. The GC-MS showed a significant difference in the extracted components of cuticular hydrocarbons between different larval instars reared in the same temperature and between the same larval instar that reared at different temperatures. Furthermore, the highest and lowest amounts of cuticular hydrocarbons were detected at 35 and 40°C, respectively. Overall, larval body size and cuticular hydrocarbon components were temperature dependent within the range 30-40°C, which may suggest them as possible reliable age indicators for estimating the postmortem interval in the field of medicolegal entomology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fayeza Alotaibi
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Alkuriji
- National Center of Agricultural Technology, Life Science and Environmental Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Salwa AlReshaidan
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reem Alajmi
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dina M Metwally
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Bassam Almutairi
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Majed Alorf
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rania Haddadi
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashraf Ahmed
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Zoology Department, College of Science, Minia University, El-Minia, Egypt
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Weithmann S, von Hoermann C, Degasperi G, Brandt K, Steiger S, Ayasse M. Temporal variability of the rove beetle (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) community on small vertebrate carrion and its potential use for forensic entomology. Forensic Sci Int 2021; 323:110792. [PMID: 33895634 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) are one of the most important colonizers of vertebrate cadavers. We have previously investigated carrion-associated rove beetle communities across various forests and demonstrated that the study regions are the main drivers of the local rove beetle species pool that is, in turn, able to colonize a carcass. Nevertheless, little is known about their temporal variation in community composition during the decomposition process. The aim of our study has been to analyze the temporal changes of the composition of the rove beetle community and to identify new, potentially useful candidate species for forensic entomological evaluations. We determined 80 rove beetle species that were attracted to 60 piglet cadavers across various forest stands in Germany. Both the abundance and the community composition changed over the decomposition process, independently of the species-specific geographical variation across study regions. In the region Schorfheide-Chorin, species from the genus Philonthus proved to be a suitable group for future forensic entomological investigations. They appeared in markedly high numbers at piglet cadavers from the bloated stage until the advanced decay stage. For the study region Schwäbische Alb, we newly describe the species Omalium septentrionis as a member of the carrion-associated rove beetle fauna. Based on the geographical variation in rove beetle community compositions, we have filtered out several species that might contribute to advances in postmortem interval estimations or other applied fields in forensic entomological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Weithmann
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, 89069 Ulm, Germany.
| | - Christian von Hoermann
- Department of Conservation and Research, Bavarian Forest National Park, 94481 Grafenau, Germany.
| | - Gregor Degasperi
- Department for Ecology, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Katharina Brandt
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, 89069 Ulm, Germany.
| | - Sandra Steiger
- Department of Evolutionary Animal Ecology, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany.
| | - Manfred Ayasse
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, 89069 Ulm, Germany.
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