Abstract

Forensic entomology is a scientific tool applied to the study of insect or arthropod succession at the scene of a crime or that associated with an accident or natural death. Interpreting this succession provides information to determine minimum and maximum limits of the Postmortem Interval (PMI), that is, the time between death and the discovery of the body. This study was carried out during the rainy season, from 27 October to 12 December 2002 in an urban area of the city of Medellín, Colombia. Three domestic pigs were used as animal models. The results showed that both the aforementioned species as well as the physical characteristics of the carcass determined the indicator species of the postmortem interval in urban areas of the city. In total, 11,937 individuals were collected and identified, belonging to 12 orders, 29 families and 42 genera. Diptera were the most abundant order (90%) represented mainly by Calliphoridae (80%). Coleoptera were scarcely present, representing only 2.8% of the total collected. Based on information obtained of eggs and larvae reared to adult of this successional study, an occurrence matrix was elaborated for determining of the PMI. From the same study area and under the same conditions, a list of arthropods associated with carrion is presented in this manuscript.

References

1.
Smith
KG
.
A manual of forensic entomology
.
London
:
British Museum (Natural History)
, and
Ithaca, NY
:
Cornell University Press
1986
; 206.
2.
Catt
EP
,
Goff
ML
.
Forensic entomology in criminal investigations
.
Ann Rev Entomol
 0066-4170
1992
;
37
:
253
72
.
3.
Hall
RD
.
Perceptions and status of forensic entomology
. In:
Byrd
JH
,
Castner
JL
, editors.
Forensic entomology
.
New York, Washington DC
2001
;
1
15
.
4.
Keh
B
.
Scope and application of forensic entomology
.
Ann Rev Entomol
 0066-4170
1985
;
30
:
137
54
.
5.
Magaña
C
,
Hernández
M
.
Aplicaciones de la entomología forense en las investigaciones médico-legales
.
IX Congreso Ibérico de Entomología
.
Zaragoza
4–8 de Julio 2000.
6.
Magaña
C
.
La Entomología Forense y su aplicación a la medicina lega. Data de la muerte
.
Bol SEA
2001
;
28
:
49
57
.
7.
Von
ZCJ
.
Zoologia aplicada: Recentes avancos em estudos de entomologia forense
.
Entomologia y Vectores, Rio de Janeiro
2001
;
8
(
2
):
173
83
.
8.
Tantawi
TI
,
Kady
EM
,
Greenberg
El-B
,
Graffar
Ha-El
.
Arthropod succession on exposed rabbit carrion in Alexandria. Egypt
.
J Med Entomol
 0022-2585
1996
;
35
(
5
):
704
9
.
9.
Wells
JD
,
LaMotte
LR
.
Estimating maggot age from weight using Inverse Prediction
.
J Forensic Sci
 0022-1198
1995
;
4
:
585
90
.
10.
Jiron
LF
,
Cartin
VM
.
Insect successions in the decomposition of a mammal in Costa Rica
.
J NY Entomolol Soc
1981
;
89
:
158
65
.
11.
Payne
JA
.
A summer carrion study of the baby pig Sus scrofa Linnaeus
.
Ecology
 0012-9658
1965
;
46
(
5
):
592
602
.
12.
Anderson
GS
,
Vanlaerhover
SL
.
Initial studies on insect succession on Carrion in Southwestern British Columbia
.
J Forensic Sci
 0022-1198
1996
;
41
(
4
):
617
25
.
13.
Arnoldos
IRE
,
Dolores
GM
,
Luna
A
.
An initial on the succession of sarcosaprophagous Diptera (Insecta) on carrion in the Southeasatern Iberian peninsula
.
Int J Legal Med
 0937-9827
2001
;
114
:
156
62
.
14.
Anderson
GS
.
The use of insects in death investigations: an analysis of forensic entomology cases in British Columbia over a five year period
.
Can Soc Forensic Sci J
1995
;
28
:
227
92
.
15.
Miralbés
CM
.
Artropodos presentes en carroña de cerdos en la comarca de la Litera (Huesca)
.
Bol SEA
  Mayo 2001;
28
:
133
40
.
16.
Early
M
,
Goff
ML
.
Arthropod succession patterns in exposed carrion on the Island of Oàhu, Hawaii island, USA
.
J Med Entomol
 0022-2585
1986
;
23
(
5
):
520
31
.
17.
Tullis
K
,
Goff
ML
.
Arthropod succession in exposed carrion in a tropical rainforest on O'ahu Island, Hawaii
.
J Med Entomol
 0022-2585
1987
;
24
:
332
9
.
18.
Shalaby
OA
,
Carvalho
LML
,
Goff
ML
.
Comparison of patterns of decomposition in a hanging carcass and carcass in contact with soil in a xerophytic habitat on the Island of O'ahu, Hawaii
.
J Forensic Sci
 0022-1198
2000
;
45
(
6
):
1267
73
.
19.
Goff
ML
,
Flynn
MM
.
Determination of postmortem interval by arthropod succession: a case study from the Hawaiin island
.
J Forensic Sci
 0022-1198
1991
;
36
:
607
14
.
20.
Goff
ML
,
Odom
CB
.
Forensic entomology in the Hawaiian Islands: three case reports
.
Am J Forensic Med Pathol
 0195-7910
1987
;
8
:
45
50
.
21.
Carvalho
LML
,
Linhares
AX
,
LM
.
Seasonality of insect succession and pig carcass decomposition in a natural forest area in Southeastern Brazil
.
J Forensic Sci
 0022-1198
2001
;
46
(
3
):
604
8
.
22.
Carvalho
LML
,
Thyssen
PJ
,
Linhares
AX
,
Palhares
FAB
.
A Checklist of arthropods associated with pig carrion and human corpses in southeastern Brazil
.
Men Inst Oswaldo Cruz
 0074-0276
2000
;
95
:
135
8
.
23.
Jirón
LF
,
Solano
ME
.
Notes in the eclectical feeding preferences of the black soldier fly Hermetia illuscens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) in Costa Rica
.
Brenesia
1998
;
30
:
101
3
.
24.
Jirón
Lf
,
Vargas
LG
,
Vargas-Alvarado
E
.
Four muscoid flies (Sarcophagidae and Muscidae) associated with human cadavers in Costa Rica
.
Brenesia
1982
;
21
:
1
5
.
25.
Jirón
LF
.
Sobre moscas califóridas de Costa Rica (Diptera: Cyclorrhapha)
.
Brenesia
1979
;
16
:
221
2
.
26.
Dunn
LH
.
Hermetia illuscens breeding in a human cadacver (Dipt.)
Entomol News
 0013-872X
1916
;
27
:
59
61
.
27.
Barreto
M
,
Burbano
ME
,
Barreto
P
.
Flies (Calliphoridae, Muscidae) and beetles (Silfhidae) from human cadavers in Cali, Colombia
.
Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, rio de Janeiro
2002
;
97
(
1
):
137
8
.
28.
Wolff
M
,
Uribe
A
,
Ortiz
A
,
Duque
P
.
A preliminary study of forensic entomology in Medellín, Colombia
.
Forensic Sci Internat
 0379-0738
2001
;
120
:
53
9
.
29.
Schoenly
K
,
Goff
ML
,
Early
M
.
A basic algorithm for calculating the postmortem interval from arthropod successional data
.
J Forensic Sci
 0022-1198
1992
;
37
(
3
):
808
23
.
30.
Schoenly
K
,
Goff
ML
,
Wells
JD
,
Lord
WD
.
Quantifying statistical uncertainty in succession-based entomological estimates of the postmortem interval in death scene investigations: a simulation study
.
Am Entomol
1996
;
42
:10.
31.
Espinal
LS
.
Geografía Ecológica del departamento de Antioquía, Zonas de Vida, Formaciones Vegetales, Revista Facultad Nacional de Agronomía Medellín
,
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
1985
;(
38
):104.
32.
Instituto Geogrêfico Agustin CodaZZI
.
Zonas de vida o Formación Vegetal de Colombia, Explicativa sobre el mapa ecológico, Bogotê.
,
1977
;235.
33.
Shean
BS
,
Messinger
L
,
Papworth. Observations of differential decomposition on sun exposed vs. shaded pig carrion in costal Washington state
,
J. Forensic Sci
 0022-1198
1993
;
38
:
938
49
.
34.
Ferllini
R
.
Determinación del tiempo de muerte en cadêveres putrefactos, momificados y saponificados
,
Medicina Legal de Costa Rica
,
1994
;
17
20
.
35.
Borror
DC
,
Triplehorn
NJ
.
An introduction to the study of insect
.
New York
:
Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich
,
1992
;875.
36.
McAlpine
JF
,
Peterson
BV
,
Shewell
HJ
,
Teskey
JR
,
Vockeroth
DM
.
Wood, manual of neartic diptera, monograph/agriculture Canada 27–28.
,
Ottawa, Canada
:
Ministry of Supply and Services
,
1993
;1332.
37.
Peterson
A
.
Larva insects: an introduction to Neartic species
. 4th Edition, Part II,
1960
;416.
39.
Goff
ML
.
Estimation of postmortem interval using arthropod successional patterns
.
Forensic Sci Rev
1992
;
5
:
81
94
.
40.
Norris
RR
.
The bionomics of blowflies
.
Ann Rev Entomol
 0066-4170
1965
;
10
:
47
68
.
41.
Byrd
JH
,
Castner
JL
.
Forensic entomology
.
New York Washington, D.C.
:
CRC Press LLC
,
2001
.
42.
Guimaraes
JH
,
D'Prado
AP
,
Linhares
AX
.
Three newly introduced blowly in southern Brazil (Diptera: Calliphoridae)
.
Rev Bras Ent
1978
;
22
:
53
60
.
43.
Johnston
W
,
Villeneuve
G
.
On the medico-legal application of entomology
.
Montreal Med J
1897
;
26
:
81
90
.
44.
Leclereq
M
.
Entomological parasitology: entomology and legal medicine
.
Oxford
:
Pergamon Press
,
1969
.
45.
Johnson
MD
.
Seasonal and microseral variations in the insect populations on carrion
.
Am Midl Nat
1975
;
93
:
224
32
.
46.
Stoker
RL
,
Grant
WE
,
Vinson
SB
.
Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) effect on invertebrate decomposers of carrion in central Texas
.
Environ Entomol
1995
;
24
:
817
22
.
47.
Wells
JD
,
Greenberg
B
.
Effect of the red imported fire ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and carcass type on the daily occurrence of postfeeding carrion-fly larvae (Diptera: Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae)
.
J Med Entomol
 0022-2585
1994
;
31
:
171
74
.
This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.