14. Effect Of Wound Depth On Decomposition Rate And Species Composition Of Carrion-feeding Diptera

Abstract

Forensic entomology is used in criminal investigations to determine time and location of death using arthropod life cycle stages and comparison of arthropods on the body to species native to the region. Development rates used to determine post-mortem interval (PMI) can be influenced by environmental, as well as mechanical and chemical factors. This research aimed to analyze if wound depth influenced species composition of carrion-feeding Diptera and decomposition rate. Three trials, each spanning a time period of one week, were performed in late July and early August of 2015. Stillborn fetal pigs were placed in cages, three pigs per cage for each treatment of control, slashed, and stabbed. Both larval and adult Diptera were collected at each collection period, and preserved for identification. Preliminary review of data indicates no significant difference in either species composition or decomposition rate, with the most abundant Diptera species being Lucilia coeruleiviridis and Cochliomyia macellaria. Future studies could seek to analyze the effects of other common wound types, such as blunt force trauma that results in significant internal bleeding, as well as possible chemical factors that may act as deterrents for some species and delay colonization.