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Almutawa MY, Al-Khalifa MS, Al-Dhafer HM, Abdel-Dayem MS, Ebaid H, Ahmed AM. Forensic investigation of carcass decomposition and dipteran fly composition over the summer and winter: a comparative analysis of indoor versus outdoor at a multi-story building. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2024; 61:877-890. [PMID: 38493302 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjae039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
This study aimed to explore the rate of decomposition of rabbit carcasses and the succession pattern of the associated dipteran flies outdoor, indoor, and on the roof of a 4-story building during the summer and winter. A total of 6,069 flies were recorded, with 30.91% reported as 2 waves outdoor and on the roof in the summer and 69.09% as 4 waves outdoor in the winter. The roof showed the most flies in the summer but the least in the winter, whereas the outdoor showed the most in the winter but the least in the summer. The ground and first floors showed the most indoor flies, while the second and third floors showed the least in both seasons. Indoor carcasses decomposed slower than those outdoor, and those on the second and third floors decomposed slower than those on the ground and first floors. Ten fly species from 8 families were identified in the winter, compared to 6 from 5 families in the summer. The most abundant species was Musca domestica Linnaeus (Muscidae) on the roof in the summer, while it was Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemannn) (Calliphoridae) outdoor in the winter. The rare species (singletons) were Musca sp. (Muscidae) and Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Phoridae) on the first floor in both seasons, Scaptomyza pallida (Zetterstedt) (Drosophilidae) on the ground floor in the summer, and Atherigona orientalis Schiner (Muscidae) outdoor in the winter. These data highlight the variance in carcass decomposition and fly composition across outdoor, indoor, and the roof of human dwellings, which could be of forensic importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masha'el Y Almutawa
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed S Al-Khalifa
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hathal M Al-Dhafer
- Plant Protection Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mahmoud S Abdel-Dayem
- Plant Protection Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hossam Ebaid
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashraf M Ahmed
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Jones AK, Hidayah Shamsuddin N, Chin Heo C. Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae): A potentially forgotten forensically important species in Malaysia. Sci Justice 2024; 64:339-346. [PMID: 39025559 DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2024.04.006] [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: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) has been collected in human forensic case work. This species is endemic in Malaysia but is not one of the most common species and is often found in outdoor cases. However, it is hypothesized that the presence of L. cuprina larvae may provide useful information in forensic case studies in Malaysia where this species has previously been ignored. This review will discuss the current background knowledge on L. cuprina, particularly when it comes to other forensic cases in Malaysia. General biology as well as key information for forensic work such as geographical distribution and developmental data will be reviewed. Finally, we discuss the potential for L. cuprina to provide beneficial and unique forensic insight into indoor cases with refuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abby K Jones
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh Campus, Jalan Hospital, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Nur Hidayah Shamsuddin
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Hospital Sungai Buloh, Jalan Hospital, 47000 Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Chong Chin Heo
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh Campus, Jalan Hospital, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia; Institute of Pathology, Laboratory and Forensic Medicine (I-PPerForM), Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh Campus, Jalan Hospital, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia.
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Al-Qurashi AS, Mashaly AM, Alajmi R, Al-Khalifa MS, Mansour L, Al-Omar SY, Sharaf MR, Aldawood AS, Al-Dhafer HM, Hunter T, Almutawa MY, Ahmed AM. A preliminary investigation of rabbit carcass decomposition and attracted ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on the seaward coastal beach of Al-Jubail City, Saudi Arabia. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2024; 61:318-330. [PMID: 38104252 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjad162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The current study was carried out in the seaward coastal beach environment of Al-Jubail City, Saudi Arabia, to analyze the rabbit carcass decomposition process, the succession pattern of associated ants, and their potential utility in forensic investigation. Experiments were conducted over a 4-season course (from autumn 2018 to summer 2019). A total of 9 species belonging to the 2 subfamilies, Myrmicinae and Formicinae, were recorded. The myrmicine species were Crematogaster aegyptiaca Mayr, 1862; Messor ebeninus Santschi, 1927; Messor foreli Santschi, 1923; and Monomorium abeillei Andre, 1881. The formicine species were Camponotus xerxes Forel, 1904; Cataglyphis albicans (Roger, 1859); Cataglyphis hologerseniCollingwood & Agosti, 1996; Cataglyphis viaticoides (André, 1881); and Nylanderia jaegerskioeldi (Mayr, 1904). M. abeillei was the only species recorded in all 4 seasons, while M. abeillei and C. albicans were the dominant species in summer and C. aegyptiaca and C. albicans in spring. Diversity was lowest in the autumn, with only 4 species recorded. The COI gene sequences of 5 species have been successfully deposited in the GenBank database for the first time. In total, 4 carcass decomposition stages were observed, with the longest duration in winter (13 days), the shortest in summer (11 days), and in between for both autumn and spring. Most ant species were present during both decay and dry stages, while M. abeillei, C. aegyptiaca, M. ebeninus, and C. albicans were observed in all decomposition stages. These data may indicate that ants on this coastal beach showed seasonal and geographical succession patterns that could be taken into consideration in forensic investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Afnan S Al-Qurashi
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashraf M Mashaly
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reem Alajmi
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed S Al-Khalifa
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lamjed Mansour
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Suliman Y Al-Omar
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mostafa R Sharaf
- Plant Protection Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrahman S Aldawood
- Plant Protection Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hathal M Al-Dhafer
- Plant Protection Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Tony Hunter
- Zoology Department, World Museum, Liverpool, UK
| | - Masha'el Y Almutawa
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashraf M Ahmed
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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