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Recinos-Aguilar YM, García-García MD, Malo EA, Cruz-López L, Cruz-Esteban S, Rojas JC. The Succession of Flies of Forensic Importance Is Influenced by Volatiles Organic Compounds Emitted During the First Hours of Decomposition of Chicken Remains. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 57:1411-1420. [PMID: 32350507 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjaa064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
After death, a series of primary reactions occur that produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are released into the environment. In this study, we investigated if the succession of flies of forensic importance in the first hours after death is mediated by VOCs in order to better understanding of the ecology of necrophagous insects. In total, 685 adult insects (Diptera and Hymenoptera) were collected by traps baited with chicken remains at different decomposition times (0, 6, 12, 24, 36, or 48 h). Of the total of insects caught, individuals from six families of Diptera can be cataloged of forensic importance. The most abundant dipteran family was Piophilidae with 213 individuals, followed by Calliphoridae with 178 specimens. Of the total flies caught, 90% were females and the rest were males. Most of the caught females were categorized as gravid, which visited more often the decaying tissues compared to nongravid females. The abundance of the flies increased in the remains with a longer time of decomposition. Six VOCs emitted in different relative quantities were identified according to the decomposition time of the remains. An apparent association was observed between the emission of ρ-cresol with Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann), between the emission of phenol, dimethyl disulfide, and dimethyl trisulfide with Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart), and between the emissions of indole with Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yensy María Recinos-Aguilar
- Grupo de Ecología de Artrópodos y Manejo de Plagas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Tapachula, Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto km 2.5, CP, Tapachula, Chiapas, México
| | - María Dolores García-García
- Facultad de Biología, Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Campus Universitario de Espinardo. Murcia, España
| | - Edi A Malo
- Grupo de Ecología de Artrópodos y Manejo de Plagas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Tapachula, Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto km 2.5, CP, Tapachula, Chiapas, México
| | - Leopoldo Cruz-López
- Grupo de Ecología de Artrópodos y Manejo de Plagas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Tapachula, Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto km 2.5, CP, Tapachula, Chiapas, México
| | - Samuel Cruz-Esteban
- Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Red de diversidad Biológica del Occidente Mexicano. Avenida Lázaro Cárdenas 253, CP, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, México
- CONACyT. Avenida Insurgentes Sur 1582, 03940. Ciudad de México, México
| | - Julio C Rojas
- Grupo de Ecología de Artrópodos y Manejo de Plagas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Tapachula, Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto km 2.5, CP, Tapachula, Chiapas, México
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The Attraction of the Dung Beetle Anoplotrupes stercorosus (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae) to Volatiles from Vertebrate Cadavers. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11080476. [PMID: 32727148 PMCID: PMC7469141 DOI: 10.3390/insects11080476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
During decomposition, vertebrate carrion emits volatile organic compounds to which insects and other scavengers are attracted. We have previously found that the dung beetle, Anoplotrupes stercorosus, is the most common dung beetle found on vertebrate cadavers. Our aim in this study was to identify volatile key compounds emitted from carrion and used by A. stercorosus to locate this nutritive resource. By collecting cadaveric volatiles and performing electroantennographic detection, we tested which compounds A. stercorosus perceived in the post-bloating decomposition stage. Receptors in the antennae of A. stercorosus responded to 24 volatiles in odor bouquets from post-bloating decay. Subsequently, we produced a synthetic cadaver odor bouquet consisting of six compounds (benzaldehyde, DMTS, 3-octanone, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-ol, nonanal, dodecane) perceived by the beetles and used various blends to attract A. stercorosus in German forests. In field assays, these beetles were attracted to a blend of DMTS, 3-octanone, and benzaldehyde. Generalist feeding behavior might lead to the super-dominant occurrence of A. stercorosus in temperate European forests and have a potentially large impact on the exploitation and rapid turnover of temporally limited resources such as vertebrate cadavers.
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Giffen-Lemieux JE, Okuda K, Rosati JY, Musah RA. Characterization of the Volatiles' Profiles of the Eggs of Forensically Relevant Lucilia sericata and Phormia regina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Blow Flies by SPME-Facilitated GC-MS. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 57:994-1005. [PMID: 32052031 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjaa018] [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: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The attraction of necrophagous insects, particularly blow flies, to corpses and carrion is of ecological, economic, and agricultural importance, although the mechanisms by which it occurs are not well understood. Much of the published research on blow fly attractants has focused on volatiles emitted from carrion surrogates, but little attention has been given to the possibility that blow fly eggs themselves may emit chemical cues that are responsible for conspecific and heterospecific insect attraction. In this study, the headspace volatiles emitted from eggs representing two aggregated oviposition events that were collected 1 mo apart from two species of the Calliphoridae family (Order: Diptera), Lucilia sericata (Meigen), and Phormia regina (Meigen) were analyzed via solid-phase microextraction-facilitated GC-MS. The volatiles' profiles were found to be consistent between samples representing the same species, but unique between the two species. Over 100 molecules covering a wide range of compound classes that included alcohols, aldehydes, esters, amines, ketones, and organosulfur compounds were identified. The profile of volatiles emitted from the L. sericata eggs contained several alkanes and aldehydes, whereas salient features of the P. regina headspace included numerous esters and ketones. Between the two species, 42 compounds were shared, several of which were carboxylic acids. Little overlap between the range of compounds detected and those reported to be emitted from decomposing remains was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Rabi A Musah
- Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY
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Revolution in death sciences: body farms and taphonomics blooming. A review investigating the advantages, ethical and legal aspects in a Swiss context. Int J Legal Med 2020; 134:1875-1895. [DOI: 10.1007/s00414-020-02272-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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5
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Hung KY, McElfresh JS, Zou Y, Wayadande A, Gerry AC. Identification of Volatiles From Plants Infested With Honeydew-Producing Insects, and Attraction of House Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) to These Volatiles. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 57:667-676. [PMID: 31837224 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
House flies (Musca domestica L.) are mechanical vectors of food-borne pathogens including Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Shigella spp., resulting in increased risk of diarrheal disease in areas where flies are abundant. Movement of house flies into food crops may be increased by the presence of honeydew-producing insects feeding on these crops. Using gas chromatography-electroantennogram detection (GC-EAD) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), volatile odors that elicited house fly antennal response were identified from naval orange (Osbeck) (Sapindales: Rutaceae) and Marsh grapefruit (Macfad.) (Sapindales: Rutaceae) leaves infested with whitefly (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and from whole faba (L.) (Fabales: Fabaceae) bean plants infested with aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Volatiles identified included benzaldehyde, butyl hexanoate, β-caryophyllene, Δ3-carene, (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene (DMNT), (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, myrcene, limonene, linalool, and naphthalene. This was followed by semifield bioassays of volatile blends and individual volatiles to determine house fly attraction to these volatiles. Although fly capture rates in the semifield setting were low, benzaldehyde and (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate were consistently attractive to house flies as individual compounds and as components of volatile blends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Y Hung
- Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District, Indio, CA
| | - J Steven McElfresh
- Department of Entomology, University of California at Riverside, Riverside, CA
| | - Yunfan Zou
- Department of Entomology, University of California at Riverside, Riverside, CA
| | - Astri Wayadande
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
| | - Alec C Gerry
- Department of Entomology, University of California at Riverside, Riverside, CA
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Irish L, Rennie SR, Parkes GMB, Williams A. Identification of decomposition volatile organic compounds from surface-deposited and submerged porcine remains. Sci Justice 2019; 59:503-515. [PMID: 31472795 DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2019.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Cadaver dogs are routinely used internationally by police and civilian search organisations to locate human remains on land and in water, yet little is currently known about the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are released by a cadaver underwater; how this compares to those given off by a cadaver deposited on land; and ultimately, how this affects the detection of drowned victims by dogs. The aim of this study was to identify the VOCs released by whole porcine (Sus scrofa domesticus) cadavers deposited on the surface and submerged in water using solid phase microextraction gas chromatography mass spectrometry (SPME GC-MS) to ascertain if there are notable differences in decomposition odour depending on the deposition location. For the first time in the UK, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the headspace of decomposing porcine cadavers deposited in both terrestrial and water environments have been detected and identified using SPME-GCMS, including thirteen new VOCs not previously detected from porcine cadavers. Distinct differences were found between the VOCs emitted by porcine cadavers in terrestrial and water environments. In total, seventy-four VOCs were identified from a variety of different chemical classes; carboxylic acids, alcohols, aromatics, aldehydes, ketones, hydrocarbons, esters, ethers, nitrogen compounds and sulphur compounds. Only forty-one VOCs were detected in the headspace of the submerged pigs with seventy detected in the headspace of the surface-deposited pigs. These deposition-dependent differences have important implications for the training of cadaver dogs in the UK. If dog training does not account for these depositional differences, there is potential for human remains to be missed. Whilst the specific odours that elicit a trained response from cadaver dogs remain unknown, this research means that recommendations can be made for the training of cadaver dogs to incorporate different depositions, to account for odour differences and mitigate the possibility of missed human remains operationally.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Irish
- School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| | - S R Rennie
- Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| | - G M B Parkes
- School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| | - A Williams
- School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
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Feddern N, Amendt J, Schyma C, Jackowski C, Tschui J. A preliminary study about the spatiotemporal distribution of forensically important blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in the area of Bern, Switzerland. Forensic Sci Int 2018; 289:57-66. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Revised: 05/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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8
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Chaudhury MF, Zhu JJ, Skoda SR. Physical and Physiological Factors Influence Behavioral Responses of Cochliomyia macellaria (Diptera: Calliphoridae) to Synthetic Attractants. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2017; 110:1929-1934. [PMID: 28535247 DOI: 10.1093/jee/tox145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Volatile chemicals from waste artificial larval media as well as from bovine blood inoculated with bacteria isolated from screwworm-infested wounds attract gravid females of Cochliomyia hominivorax Coquerel and Cochliomyia macellaria (F.). Chemicals identified from volatiles are dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, phenol, p-cresol, and indole; a blend of these attracted females to oviposit. Present studies investigated the effectiveness of these compounds, either in a blend or individually as potential oviposition attractants. Tests were conducted to determine the effects of gender, ovarian age, and the color and type of substrates on attraction response and oviposition of C. macellaria adults. Results showed that substrates treated with dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) alone or the five-compound blend alone attracted significantly more gravid females than other chemicals. Black substrates treated with DMTS attracted more gravid flies than did the yellow substrates. Yellow substrates treated with indole attracted more males and nongravid females. In oviposition tests, females deposited significantly more eggs on meat-based substrates than those without meat. These findings suggest that several factors have to be considered for developing an effective oviposition attractant that should include effectiveness of individual chemicals used, the ratio of the chemicals in a blend, and their concentrations. Also, an effective trap design will need to consider using suitable color which will selectively attract gravid females.
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Affiliation(s)
- M F Chaudhury
- USDA-ARS, 109 C Entomology Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583
| | - J J Zhu
- USDA-ARS, 305 Entomology Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583
| | - S R Skoda
- USDA-ARS, KBUSLIRL, 2700 Fredericksburg Rd., Kerrville, TX 78028
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Verheggen F, Perrault KA, Megido RC, Dubois LM, Francis F, Haubruge E, Forbes SL, Focant JF, Stefanuto PH. The Odor of Death: An Overview of Current Knowledge on Characterization and Applications. Bioscience 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/bix046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
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10
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Soares TF, Vasconcelos SD. Diurnal and Nocturnal Flight Activity of Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in a Rainforest Fragment in Brazil: Implications for the Colonization of Homicide Victims. J Forensic Sci 2016; 61:1571-1577. [PMID: 27676692 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Revised: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Nocturnal flight of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a controversial issue in forensic entomology. We performed two field experiments to investigate the diurnal and nocturnal activity of six blow fly species in a rainforest fragment in Brazil. Initially, nocturnal (17:30-05:30) versus diurnal (05:30-17:30) flight activity was investigated. Only 3.9% of adults were collected at night, mostly the native species Mesembrinella bicolor, and nocturnal oviposition did not occur. In the second experiment, collection of adults took place at the following intervals: 05:30-08:30, 08:30-11:30, 11:30-14:30, and 14:30-17:30. The proportions of adults did not differ significantly among the four diurnal intervals, except for Hemilucilia segmentaria, which was captured more frequently in the early morning. Calliphoridae has predominantly diurnal behavior, not laying eggs in darkness. The association of the native species M. bicolor, Hemilucilia semidiaphana, and H. segmentaria to forested areas reinforces the forensic relevance of data on their flight pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago F Soares
- Insects of Forensic Importance Research Group, Department of Zoology, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Simao D Vasconcelos
- Insects of Forensic Importance Research Group, Department of Zoology, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
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Michaud JP, Schoenly KG, Moreau G. REWRITING ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION HISTORY: DID CARRION ECOLOGISTS GET THERE FIRST? QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2015; 90:45-66. [PMID: 26434165 DOI: 10.1086/679763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Ecological succession is arguably the most enduring contribution of plant ecologists and its origins have never been contested. However, we show that French entomologist Pierre Mégnin, while collaborating with medical examiners in the late 1800s, advanced the first formal definition and testable mechanism of ecological succession. This discovery gave birth to the twin disciplines of carrion ecology and forensic entomology. As a novel case of multiple independent discovery, we chronicle how the disciplines of plant and carrion ecology (including forensic entomology) accumulated strikingly similar parallel histories and contributions. In the 1900s, the two groups diverged in methodology and purpose, with carrion ecologists and forensic entomologists focusing mostly on case reports and observational studies instead of hypothesis testing. Momentum is currently growing, however, to develop the ecological framework of forensic entomology and advance carrion ecology theory. Researchers are recognizing the potential of carcasses as subjects for testing not only succession mechanisms (without assuming space-for-time substitution), but also aggregation and coexistence models, diversity-ecosystem function relationships, and the dynamics of pulsed resources. By comparing the contributions of plant and carrion ecologists, we hope to stimulate future crossover research that leads to a general theory of ecological succession.
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The biology and ecology of Necrodes littoralis, a species of forensic interest in Europe. Int J Legal Med 2015; 130:273-80. [PMID: 26762393 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-015-1253-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Necrodes littoralis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Silphidae), also known as the "shore sexton beetle," is a common silphid beetle that visits and breeds on large vertebrate cadavers. This study describes, for the first time, the involvement of N. littoralis on human corpses based on a large dataset of 154 French forensic cases. Various parameters regarding corpse location, decomposition stages, and entomofauna were extracted from each file. Compared to all of the forensic entomology cases analyzed between 1990 and 2013 (1028), N. littoralis was observed, on average, in one case out of eight; most of these cases occurred during spring and summer (73.5%). More than 90% of the cases were located outdoors, especially in woodlands, bushes, and fields. The decomposition stage of the corpse varied among cases, with more than 50% in the advanced decomposition stage, 36% in the early decomposition stage, and less than 10% in the fresh, mummified, or skeletonized stages. Regarding other necrophagous species sampled with N. littoralis, Calliphorid flies were found in 94% of the cases and Fanniidae/Muscidae in 65% of the cases. Chrysomya albiceps, a heliophilic species mostly located in the Mediterranean area, was present in 34% of the cases (only 20% in the whole dataset). The most common coleopteran species were Necrobia spp. (Coleoptera: Cleridae) and Creophilus maxillosus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae); these beetles were observed in 27% of the cases. The over-representation of these species is likely due to similar requirements regarding the climate and decomposition stage. As N. littoralis is frequently observed and tends to become more common, we conclude that the developmental data for this species would be a precious tool for forensic entomologists in Europe.
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