Insect succession on carrion in Fars Province, southwestern Iran

Abstract

Background: The entomofauna found on animal carrion, which is used as vertebrate model, can help in the estimation of postmortem interval (PMI). The aim of this study was to determine the succession pattern of insects on carrion in outdoor and indoor habitats in Fars Province, southwestern Iran. Results: A total of 19 species from nine families were collected. Chrysomya albiceps and Musca domestica were the first species to visit the outdoor carrion while only Musca domestica was seen on the indoor carrion. Sarcophaga crassipalpis, Lucillia sericata, and Histeridae species were observed exclusively on the indoor carrion while Dermestes maculatus, Piophila casei, and some hymenopteran species were the most dominant species seen on the outdoor carrion. Vespula germanica and Vespa orientalis fed on both outdoor and indoor habitats. Conclusion: Insects’ succession pattern was found to differ between the two respective habitats. This is really important and could be used in medicolegal cases to estimate the PMI.