Abstract

MAVAREZ-CARDOZO, MG.; ESPINA DE FEREIRA, AI.; BARRIOS-FERRER, FA.  and  FEREIRA-PAZ, JL.. The Forensic Entomology and the Neotropic. Cuad. med. forense [online]. 2005, n.39, pp.23-33. ISSN 1988-611X.

Forensic Entomology has reached an important status within the forensic sciences. The Neo-tropical countries have a vast and diverse environmental and faunal composition. Nevertheless, the studies regarding the insect succession in cadavers in this region, are scarce. The objective of this paper is to gather information regarding the research performed in the Neo-tropics and in other latitudes, and to carry out observations in the cadavers of small mammals in the Parish of Juana de Avila, Municipality Maracaibo, State Zulia, Venezuela. A bibliographic revision was made as well as the daily captures and observations of insects in the carcasses of three domestic cats and four laboratory rats during a period of ten days. Other authors have reported that the seasonal variations is a decisive factor in countries such as Canada, the United States and Spain, in contrast to what happens in Neo-tropical countries such as Peru and Colombia. This has determined an important variability in the arthropod waves, as well as in the duration of each of the decomposition stages of the remains. According to our field observations, Chrysomya sp, appeared on the first day and a larva stage was maintained until the seventh and eighth day when they started to create pupas, which emerged between the ninth and tenth day. After the tenth day, a poor and disperse presence of the adult could be observed. The conclusion was that Chrysomya sp was the dominant specie among the other carrions dipterous and the principal indicator of post-mortem interval (P.M.I.) during the first ten days in the cadavers under study.

Keywords : decomposition stages; Forensic Entomology; necrophagous dipterous and coleopterous; neo-tropical; post-mortem interval.

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