Warning: Some material in this presentation and related videos may be too graphic for some people.
Essential Vocabulary
Forensic entomology: the study of insects as they pertain to legal
issues
Instar: one of the three larval stages of insect development
Larva (plural larvae): immature form of an animal that undergoes
metamorphosis (for example, a maggot)
Postmortem interval (PMI): the time between death and the
discovery of the body
Pupa (plural pupae): the stage in an insects life cycle when the larva
forms a capsule around itself and changes into its adult form
Q: What is Forensic Entomology?
The study of insects as they pertain to legal
issues
Forensic entomologists apply their
knowledge of entomology to provide
information for criminal investigations.
Q: What Do Entomologists Do?
Forensic entomologists use their knowledge of insects and their life
cycles and behaviors to give them clues about a crime.
A forensic entomologists job may include:
Identification of insects at various stages of their life cycle, such as
eggs, larva, and adults.
Collection and preservation of insects as evidence.
Determining an estimate for the PMI using factors such as insect
evidence, weather conditions, location and condition of the body,
etc.
Testifying in court to explain insect-related evidence found at a
crime scene.
Cool Jobs: Forensic Entomology Discovery Video
Steps for Collection
Observe the scene
Collect meteorological data
Collect the insects
Adult flies and beetles
Larvae
Q: What Can Insects Tell Us?
Manner and cause of death
Movement of the corpse
Time since death
Postmortem Interval (PMI)
Association of suspects with the death
scene
Detection of toxins or drugs through
analysis of insect larvae.
Insects as Evidence
Most insects used in investigations are in two major
orders:
1 Flies (Diptera) and
2 Beetles (Coleoptera)
Gallery Walk!
Q: What are common insects found at a crime scene?
Necrophages: species of
insect feeding on corpse tissue
Blow flies (diptera) and
beetles (coleoptera)
Age determination of these
insects usually basis for
making PMI estimations
Examples of Diptera (Flies)
Early Stage
Decomposition
Blow & Greenbottle Flies
(Calliphoridae)
Flesh Fly
(Sarcophagidae)
Metallic thorax and abdomen
Striped thorax
House Fly
(Muscidae)
Cheese Skipper
(Piophilidae)
Life Cycle of a
Calliphoridae Fly
Late Stage
Decomposition
Examples of Coleoptera (Beetles)
Early Stage Decomposition
Carrion Beetles (Silphidae)
Adults & larvae feed on fly larvae
Early to Late Stage Decomposition
Rove Beetles
Clown Beetles
(Staphylinidae)
(Histeridae)
Predator of fly eggs
Predator of fly eggs
Late Stage Decomposition
Ham & Checkered Beetles
(Cleridae)
Predator of flies & beetles;
also feed on dead tissue
Hide Beetles
Skin Beetles (Dermestidae)
Feed on dried skin & tissues
(Scarabidae)
Usually the last to arrive
Q: What are common insects found at a crime scene?
Ominvores: Species that feed on
both the corpse and associated
fauna
Ants, wasps, and some beetles
Large populations of these may
slow down the rate of corpse
decomposition by depleting
populations of necrophagous
species
Q: What are common insects found at a crime scene?
Parasites and Predators
Many beetles, true flies and wasps that parasitize
immature flies
Incidentals
Arthropods that use the corpse as an extension of
their normal habitat
Eprintails, spiders, centipedes, pill bugs and some
mites
Insects as Evidence
Species succession can provide PMI clues for
investigators.
Some species may feed on a fresh corpse, while another
species may prefer to feed on one that has been dead for
two weeks.
Investigators will also find other insect species that prey
on the insects feeding on the corpse.
Did you know?
Maggots can be used to test a corpse for the presence of poisons or drugs.
Some drugs can speed up or slow down the insects development.
Blow Fly Metamorphosis
Blow flies are attracted to dead bodies and often arrive within minutes of the death
of an animal. They have a complete life cycle that consists of egg, larva, pupa, and
adult stages.
Adult
Pupa
Eggs
3rd Instar Larva
1st Instar Larva
2nd Instar Larva
Blow Fly Metamorphosis
1. Adult flies lay eggs on the carcass
Especially at wound areas or around the openings in the body
such as the nose, eyes, ears, anus, etc.
2. Eggs hatch into larva (maggots) in 12-24 hours.
3. Larvae continue to grow and molt (shed their
exoskeletons) as they pass through the various instar
stages.
1st Instar = 5 mm long after 1.8 days
2nd Instar = 10 mm long after 2.5 days
3rd Instar = 14-16 mm long after 4-5 days
4. The larvae develop into pupa after burrowing in
surrounding soil.
5. The adult fly emerges from pupa cases after 6-8 days.
Calculating PMI & ADH
Essential Vocabulary
Accumulated Degree Hour (ADH): a given amount of thermal
energy needed to develop from one stage of an insect life cycle
to another
Arthopods: animals characterized by jointed legs, a segmented
body, and a hard nonliving exoskeleton.
Carrion: the carcass of a dead and decaying animal
Metamorphosis: biological process in the development of
animals, usually involving changes in the animals form or
structure
Molt: the shedding of an insects outer skeleton during a
growth stage
Necrophagous: feeding on carrion; from the Greek word
phageous (to eat) and necro (dead)
In determining the PMI, weather data must also be taken into account
Investigators will make note of the temperature of the air, ground surface, the
interface area between the body and the ground, and the soil under the body as
well as the temperature inside any maggot masses.
They will also collect weather data related to daily temperature (highs/lows) and
precipitation for a period of time before the body was discovered to the time the
insect evidence was collected.
Other factors that might affect PMI estimates:
Was the body enclosed in an area or wrapped in a material that
would have prevented flies from finding the corpse and laying eggs?
Were other insect species present that may have affected the
development of the collected species?
Were there drugs or other poisons in or on the body that might have
affected the larvaes development?
Q: What is the ADH?
Insect development is dependent upon
temperature
Higher temp = faster growth
Development only occurs in certain temperature
ranges
Degree-day: a unit of measure of the energy
absorbed by a biological system, causing
growth
Q: What is the ADH?
Entomologists have researched and found
evidence that insects require a given amount
of heat/thermal energy to develop from one
stage to the next of its life cycle.
= accumulated degree hour (ADH) or
accumulated degree day (ADD).
Notes: All these acronyms!
Use pgs in online textbook
chapter
When finished:
Missing notes/work
Check your grade!
Check out the extension
opportunity for some credit!
CSI: Sex, Lies and Larvae
S1; Ep 10
How do insects affect changes in death?
Decomposition of a Baby Pig Take notes! Describe what you see.
Review: Determining the PMI
Step 1. Collect samples of the insects present.
Critical to collect the largest maggots on the cadaver, even if they are few.
Representative samples of other maggots present. Preserve some immediately. Rear
others to adulthood to confirm species IDs
Step 2. Determine temperature history at crime scene
Air temperature for general area (airport readings, validate with micro data-loggers).
Look for windows of insect opportunity
Step 3. Estimate time of egg laying
Given the species present and their age (size), how long did it take them to develop to
that point at the temperatures occurring in the area.
Step 4. What other insect evidence is available?
Look for other insect evidence that might corroborate or contradict your PMI estimate.
Stages of Human Decomposition
Temperature
Stiffness
Time of Death
Warm
Not stiff
< 3 hours
Warm
Stiff
3 8 hours
Cold
Stiff
8 36 hours
Cold
Not stiff
> 36 hours
