Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Long-term insect successional patterns on pig carcasses in central Spain

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Legal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Baseline data on the insect successional patterns on carcasses can be a valuable estimation tool in the investigations of suspicious deaths, particularly when the post-mortem interval is longer than months or years. However, although carrion insect succession is a recurrent topic in forensic science research, the duration of the published studies is typically shorter than 1 year, with only one published study from central Europe documenting successional patterns beyond the first year of decomposition. We provide here the first data on the long-term insect successional patterns in southern Europe, using pig carcasses exposed in the four seasons of the year and documenting the carrion entomofauna during the second and third year of decomposition. Our results confirmed previous observations from central Europe that several Coleoptera species are able to recolonize cadavers during the second and third year after death, with their larvae residing on the remains for long periods. The season of cadaver exposure appears to be a main factor determining the composition of the insect fauna that exploits the remains during subsequent years. Our results suggest that it might be possible to estimate the year and season of death analyzing the composition of the insect fauna occurring on a cadaver. The present data highlight the need for further studies on the long-term insect succession on cadavers in different seasons and geographical areas, in order to fully understand its patterns and ensure its proper application in PMI estimations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Amendt J, Richards CS, Campobasso CP, Zehner R, Hall MJR (2011) Forensic entomology: applications and limitations. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 7:379–392

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Anderson G (2001) Insect succession on carrion and its relationship to determining the time of death. In: Byrd JH, Castner JL (eds) Forensic entomology: the utility of arthropods in legal investigations. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, pp 143–175

    Google Scholar 

  3. Mądra A, Frątczak K, Grzywacz A, Matuszewski S (2015) Long-term study of pig carrion entomofauna. Forensic Sci Int 252:1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Arnaldos MI, Prado e Castro C, Presa JJ, López-Gallego E, García MD (2006) Importancia de los estudios regionales de fauna sarcosaprófaga. Aplicación a la práctica forense. Ciencia Forense 8:63–82

    Google Scholar 

  5. Castillo Miralbes M (2002) Estudio de la entomofauna asociada a cadáveres en el Alto Aragón (España). Monografías SEA 6:1–93

    Google Scholar 

  6. Martín-Vega D, Baz A (2012) Spatiotemporal distribution of necrophagous beetles (Coleoptera: Dermestidae, Silphidae) assemblages in natural hábitats of Central Spain. Ann Entomol Soc Am 105:44–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Prado e Castro C, García MD, Martins da Silva P, Faria e Silva I, Serrano A (2013) Coleoptera of forensic interest: a study of seasonal community composition and succession in Lisbon, Portugal. Forensic Sci Int 232:73–83

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Díaz-Aranda LM, Martín-Vega D, Gómez-Gómez A, Cifrián B, Baz A (2018) Annual variation in decomposition and insect succession at a periurban area of Central Iberian Peninsula. J Forensic Legal Med 56:21–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Růžička J, Vit S (2017) Fauna Europaea: Silphidae In: Alonso-Zarazaga MA (ed) Fauna Europaea: Coleoptera Fauna Europaea version 2017.06, https://fauna-eu.org [accessed: 27/10/2018]

  10. Matuszewski S, Bajerlein D, Konwerski S, Szpila K (2010) Insect succession and carrion decomposition in selected forests of Central Europe. Part 1: pattern and rate of decomposition. Forensic Sci Int 194:85–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Perez AE, Haskell NH, Wells JD (2016) Commonly used intercarcass distances appear to be sufficient to ensure independence of carrion insect succession pattern. Ann Entomol Soc Am 109:72–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Farwig N, Brandl R, Siemann S, Wiener F, Müller J (2014) Decomposition rate of carrion is dependent on composition not abundance of the assemblages of insect scavengers. Oecologia 175:1291–1300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. De Jong GD, Hoback WW (2006) Effect of investigator disturbance in experimental forensic entomology: succession and community composition. Med Vet Entomol 20:248–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Díaz-Aranda LM, Martín-Vega D, Baz A, Cifrián B (2018) Larval identification key to necrophagous Coleoptera of medico-legal importance in the western Palaearctic. Int J Legal Med 132:1795–1804

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Hammer Ø, Harper DAT, Ryan PD (2001) PAST: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontol Electron 4:1–9

    Google Scholar 

  16. Martín-Vega D (2011) Skipping clues: forensic importance of the family Piophilidae. Forensic Sci Int 212:1–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Fernández V, Gamarra P, Outerelo R, Cifrián B, Baz A (2010) Distribución de estafilíninos necrófilos (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylininae) a lo largo de un gradiente altitudinal en la Sierra de Guadarrama, España. Bol R Soc Esp Hist Nat Sec Biol 104:61–86

    Google Scholar 

  18. Mądra A, Konwerski S, Matuszewski S (2014) Necrophilous Staphylininae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) as indicators of season of death and corpse relocation. Forensic Sci Int 242:32–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Martín-Vega D, Cifrián B, Díaz-Aranda LM, Baz A (2015) Necrophilous histerid beetle communities (Coleoptera: Histeridae) in Central Spain: species composition and habitat preferences. Environ Entomol 44:966–974

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Matuszewski S, Bajerlein D, Konwerski S, Szpila S (2008) An initial study of insect succession and carrion decomposition in various forest habitats of Central Europe. Forensic Sci Int 180:61–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Schilthuizen M, Scholte C, van Wijk REJ, Dommershuijzen J, van der Horst D, Meijer zu Schlochtern M, Lievers R, Groenenberg DSJ (2011) Using DNA-barcoding to make the necrobiont beetle family Cholevidae accessible for forensic entomology. Forensic Sci Int 210:91–95

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Aballay FH, Flores GE, Silvestro VA, Zanetti NI, Centeno ND (2016) An illustrated key to, and diagnoses of the species of Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) associated with decaying carcasses in Argentina. Ann Zool 66:703–726

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Hortal J, Lobo JM, del Rey L (2006) Distribución y patrones de diversidad de los afódidos en la Comunidad de Madrid (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea, Aphodiidae, Aphodiinae y Psammodiinae). Graellsia 62:439–460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Lövei GL, Sunderland KD (1996) Ecology and behavior of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Annu Rev Entomol 41:231–256

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Matuszewski S, Konwerski S, Frątczak K, Szafałowicz M (2014) Effect of body mass and clothing on decomposition of pig carcasses. Int J Legal Med 128:1039–1048

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Bonacci T, Brandmayr P, Greco S, Tersaruolo C, Vercillo, Brandmayr TZ (2010) A preliminary investigation of insect succession on carrion in Calabria (southern Italy). Terr Arthropod Rev 3:97–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Özdemir S, Sert O (2009) Determination of Coleoptera fauna on carcasses in Ankara province, Turkey. Forensic Sci Int 183:24–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Bonacci T, Vercillo V, Benecke M (2017) Dermestes frischii and D. undulatus (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) on a human corpse in southern Italy: first report. Rom J Legal Med 25:180–184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Bonacci T, Greco S, Zetto Brandmayr T (2011) Insect fauna and degradation activity of Thanatophilus species on carrion in southern Italy (Coleoptera: Silphidae). Entomol Gener 33:63–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Torre C, Zina A, Cardellini C (1982) The ultrastructure of corified skin. Am J Forensic Med Pathol 3:211–214

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Hinton HE (1945) A monograph of the beetles associated with stored products, volume I. trustees of the British museum. Natural History, London

    Google Scholar 

  32. Erzinçlioglu YU (1980) On the role of Trichocera larvae (Diptera: Trichoceridae) in the decomposition of carrion in winter. Naturalist 105:133–134

    Google Scholar 

  33. Hågvar S, Greve L (2003) Winter active flies (Diptera, Brachycera) recorded on snow – a long-term study in South Norway. Studia Dipterol 10:401–421

    Google Scholar 

  34. Martín-Vega D, Baz A (2011) Could the ‘vulture restaurants’ be a lifeboat for the recently rediscovered bone-skippers? J Insect Conserv 15:747–753

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Matuszewski S, Szafałowicz M (2013) Temperature-dependent appearance of forensically useful beetles on carcasses. Forensic Sci Int 229:92–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Moretti TC, Bonato V, Godoy WAC (2011) Determining the season of death from the family composition of insects infesting carrion. Eur J Entomol 108:211–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to those specialists who kindly helped with the identification of some insect specimens, namely Francisco Cabrero (University Complutense de Madrid, Spain, family Aphodiidae), Vicente Ortuño (University of Alcalá, Spain, family Carabidae), José María Salgado (University of León, Spain, family Cholevidae), Marc Tronquet (Molitg-les Bains, France, family Staphylinidae), Julio Ferrer (Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Sweden, families Staphylinidae and Tenebrionidae), Alberto Tinaut (University of Granada, Spain, family Formicidae) and Lluc García (Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals, Spain, family Proporcellionidae). We are also grateful to Dr. Concepción Magaña (Instituto Anatómico Forense, Madrid, Spain) for her helpful comments on the corification process. Two anonymous reviewers provided useful comments and suggestions which improved the present manuscript.

Funding

The present study was funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (research project: BOS2003-00400) and the University of Alcalá (research project: CCG2018/EXP-033). DM-V was supported by a fellowship from the University of Alcalá (Ayudas Postdoctorales UAH).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona, km 33.6, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain

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

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

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

Authors
  1. Daniel Martín-Vega
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Arturo Baz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Blanca Cifrián
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Aída Gómez-Gómez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Luisa M. Díaz-Aranda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel Martín-Vega.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Martín-Vega, D., Baz, A., Cifrián, B. et al. Long-term insect successional patterns on pig carcasses in central Spain. Int J Legal Med 133, 1581–1592 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-019-02088-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-019-02088-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation