Abstract
The use of forensic entomology is well established in the northern hemisphere, but is still emerging in the southern hemisphere, where most of the current research is not explicitly undertaken in the context of forensics. In this review, we provide an update on the current status of forensic entomology research and its application in relation to estimation of post-mortem interval in various criminal investigations ranging from murder cases, cases of human neglect and the poaching of wildlife in southern Africa, among other issues. A literature search was conducted using Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus and EBSCOhost databases. The studies reviewed were focused on arthropod diversity during different stages of carcass decomposition, effect of seasons on the abundance and diversity of carrion feeding arthropod species during carcass decomposition, and diurnal and nocturnal oviposition of forensically important insect species during carcass decomposition. It was further observed that arthropod species that established on a decomposing carcass are potentially useful in the estimation of post-mortem interval and determining clues in cases of criminal investigations. The review confirmed the paucity of research in forensic entomology, and its application in southern Africa. Future studies on the research and application of forensic entomology in various criminal investigation scenarios – such as murder cases, human neglect, and wildlife poaching in southern Africa – are therefore needed.
 Significance:
 
 Forensic entomology research and its application is lagging in southern Africa.
 There is seasonal variation in the arthropod species used for estimation of post-mortem intervals in southern Africa.
 Identification of arthropod species diversity in the region has potential for application in forensic investigations.
Highlights
Forensic entomology has been applied in forensic investigations for decades[1,2,3] and is recognised as an important investigative tool[3,4]
We provide an update on the current status of forensic entomology research and its application in relation to estimation of post-mortem interval in various criminal investigations ranging from murder cases, cases of human neglect and the poaching of wildlife in southern Africa, among other issues
There has been limited research published on forensic entomology in southern Africa – a finding supported by the review by Villet et al.[6] on the history of forensic entomology Available studies are limited to identification of insect taxa found on carcasses during different stages of decomposition, and presumably this information can be used in determining post-mortem interval (PMI).[26]
Summary
Forensic entomology has been applied in forensic investigations for decades[1,2,3] and is recognised as an important investigative tool[3,4]. Forensic entomology can be classified into urban, stored-product and medico-legal divisions.[5,6] According to Goff[5], urban forensic entomology involves civil actions regarding insect activity associated with construction as in cases of termite damage. Stored-product forensic entomology deals with cases involving commercial property that is infested or damaged by insects. Medico-legal forensic entomology deals with insect evidence collected at a crime scene.[5,6,7] Such evidence is commonly used to estimate the time of death or post-mortem interval (PMI) of the decomposing remains of animals or humans.[5,8] This field has been gaining more recognition than have urban and stored-product forensic entomology worldwide.[5,9] we focus on medico-legal forensic entomology in this review
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