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Larval identification key to necrophagous Coleoptera of medico-legal importance in the western Palaearctic

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Abstract

Several necrophagous Coleoptera species are frequently collected on cadavers, may occasionally act as intermediate or paratenic hosts of parasites, as vectors of pathogens or as allergens, and can also represent major pests of preserved animal products. However, despite their medical, veterinary and economic importance, there is a lack of reliable species identification tools for the larval stages (usually the only entomological evidence associated with medicolegal investigations), thus severely limiting their potential application as forensic indicators. Here, we provide an identification key to the larvae of the necrophagous Coleoptera species which have been recorded on carrion in the western Palaearctic region, based on easily observable morphological characters. In total, we provide diagnostic characters for the reliable identification of 23 necrophagous Coleoptera species within four different families (Cleridae, Dermestidae, Nitidulidae and Silphidae). In addition to the aforementioned families, we provide diagnostic characters for the identification of the larvae of families Histeridae, Staphylinidae and Trogidae, which can also be collected on cadavers. It is expected that the present key will facilitate the identification of larval material of necrophagous Coleoptera collected either in carrion succession studies or during medicolegal investigations, in order to further advance in the potential use of this insects as forensic tools.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Szymon Matuszewski (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland) for kindly providing larval specimens of Oiceoptoma thoracicum and Creophilus maxillosus. We are also grateful to the president of the European Association for Forensic Entomology, Luc Bourguignon, for providing statistics on the EAFE collaborative identification exercise. Two anonymous reviewers provided useful comments and suggestions on the present manuscript. Authors’ research is supported by the IUICP (Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales). D.M.-V was supported by a fellowship from the University of Alcalá (Ayudas Postdoctorales UAH).

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  1. Luisa M. Díaz-Aranda and Daniel Martín-Vega contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida (Unidad de Zoología y Antropología Física), Universidad de Alcalá-Facultad de Ciencias, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona, km 33.6, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain

    Luisa M. Díaz-Aranda, Daniel Martín-Vega, Arturo Baz & Blanca Cifrián

  2. Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain

    Luisa M. Díaz-Aranda, Daniel Martín-Vega, Arturo Baz & Blanca Cifrián

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  1. Luisa M. Díaz-Aranda
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  2. Daniel Martín-Vega
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Correspondence to Daniel Martín-Vega.

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Díaz-Aranda, L.M., Martín-Vega, D., Baz, A. et al. Larval identification key to necrophagous Coleoptera of medico-legal importance in the western Palaearctic. Int J Legal Med 132, 1795–1804 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-018-1909-2

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