Diversity of Diptera species associated with pig carcasses in a Brazilian city exposed to high rates of homicide

Tadeu Morais Cruz,Taciano Moura Barbosa,Patrícia Jacqueline Thyssen,Simão Dias Vasconcelos

doi:10.11606/1807-0205/2021.61.01

Abstract

Cities in northeastern Brazil experience extreme rates of unsolved homicides, a situation that stimulates innovative procedures in the police work, such as forensic entomology. We surveyed necrophagous insects associated with carrion in a city exposed to high rates of homicides in Northeastern Brazil. The experiments were carried out in a rainforest fragment located in Recife, State of Pernambuco. Two pig carcasses were used as models, one in the dry and the other in the rainy season. The collection of adults was performed daily until the complete skeletonization of the carcasses. At least 32 Diptera species from the families Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Sarcophagidae, Fanniidae, Phoridae, Anthomyiidae, Piophilidae, and Stratiomyidae were registered, some of which have been previously documented on cadavers. A high richness of Diptera species was registered in all stages of decomposition. A strong overlap in the occurrence of most species was observed, which invalidates a defined entomological succession on the carcasses. Two species stood out in terms of abundance: Ophyra chalcogaster (Muscidae) and Chrysomya albiceps (Calliphoridae). The ubiquity of Hemilucilia semidiaphana (Calliphoridae) seems to confirm its preference for forest fragments exposed to low anthropogenic action. Our data contribute to expand the knowledge on the geographical distribution of forensically relevant species in the region and confirm the rapid dissemination of invasive Chrysomya species in forested areas.

Highlights

IntroductionFew areas in the world are as appropriate to develop forensic entomology as Northeastern Brazil
Few areas in the world are as appropriate to develop forensic entomology as Northeastern Brazil.Depending on the criminality indices considered, out of the 50 most violent big cities in the world are located in that region (Mexico, 2017)
That is, high temperature and humidity, resulted in fast decomposition of the carcasses, a pattern that was found in other studies performed in the Neotropical region (Carvalho & Linhares, 2001; Souza & Linhares, 1997)

Summary

Introduction

Few areas in the world are as appropriate to develop forensic entomology as Northeastern Brazil. Depending on the criminality indices considered, out of the 50 most violent big cities in the world (in countries not experiencing war) are located in that region (Mexico, 2017). Forensic entomology’s local development is hampered by the scarcity of research on the diversity and life cycle of necrophagous species. 14 insect species from five Diptera families (Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, Fanniidae, Muscidae, and Phoridae) have been recorded from human cadavers in the region & Vasconcelos, 2010; Vasconcelos et al, 2014, 2019), a figure that is overly underestimated.

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Results

Conclusion