This report describes the first medicolegal forensic entomology case of Central Amazon. A suicide by hanging took place in a “terra firme” primary forest on an upland plateau. The postmortem interval estimation was calculated on the basis of the biology of the blow fly Hemilucilia segmentaria (Fabricius) and also on the ecological succession pattern of the silphid beetle Oxelytrum cayennense (Sturm). This is the first case where the ecological information of a beetle was used as a forensic indicator in Brazil. Preliminary studies in the urban area of the city of Manaus, state of Amazonas, and in similar habitats of primary forest in the Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke, close to where the case occurred, were instrumental in helping the postmortem interval estimation. Primeiro Caso de Entomologia Médico-legal da Amazônia Central: Um Suicídio por Enforcamento com Suspensão Incompleta Resumo. Este relato descreve o primeiro caso de entomologia forense médico-legal na Amazônia Central. Um suicídio por enforcamento ocorrido em um platô de “terra firme” em floresta primária. A estimativa de intervalo pós-morte foi calculada com base na biologia da mosca varejeira Hemilucilia segmentaria (Fabricius) e também pelo padrão de sucessão ecológica do besouro silfídeo Oxelytrum cayennense (Sturm). Este é o primeiro caso onde as informações ecológicas de um besouro foram usadas como indicador forense no Brasil. Estudos preliminares realizados em área urbana na cidade de Manaus e em hábitat semelhante em floresta primária, na Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke, próximo do local onde o caso ocorreu, foram fundamentais para ajudar para a estimativa do intervalo pós-morte.

In the present contribution we compared the entomological succession pattern of a burned carcass with that of an unburned one. For that, we used domestic pig carcasses and focused on Calliphoridae, Muscidae and Sarcophagidae flies, because they are the ones most commonly used in Postmortem Interval estimates. Adult and immature flies were collected daily. A total of 27 species and 2,498 specimens were collected, 1,295 specimens of 26 species from the partially burned carcass and 1,203 specimens of 22 species from the control carcass (unburned). The species composition in the two samples differed, and the results of the similarity measures were 0.875 by Sorensen and 0.756 by Bray-Curtis index. The results obtained for both carcasses also differ with respect to the decomposition process, indicating that the post mortem interval would be underestimated if the entomological succession pattern observed for a carcass under normal conditions was applied to a carbonized carcass.Keywords: Forensic Entomology, post mortem interval, burnt carcass, Caliptratae, flies. Diferenças no padrão de sucessão de Diptera em carcaças de porco parcialmente carbonizadas e não carbonizadas ResumoNesta contribuição, nós comparamos o padrão de sucessão entomológica de uma carcaça carbonizada com outra não carbonizada. Para tal, nós usamos carcaças de porcos domésticos e focamos nos dípteros Calliphoridae, Muscidae e Sarcophagidae, por estes serem os grupos de insetos mais comumente usados na estimativa do intervalo pós-morte.Moscas adultas e seus imaturos foram coletados diariamente. Um total de 27 espécies e 2.498 espécimes foi coletado, 1.295 espécimes de 26 espécies na carcaça parcialmente carbonizada e 1.203 espécimes de 22 espécies na carcaça controle (não carbonizada). A composição específica das duas amostras foi diferente e os cálculos de similaridade resultantes foram 0,875 pelo índice de Sorensen e 0,756 pelo índice de Bray-Curtis. Os resultados obtidos para ambas as carcaças também diferiram em relação ao processo de decomposição, indicando que o intervalo pós-morte poderia ser subestimado se o padrão de sucessão entomológica observado na decomposição de uma carcaça sob condições normais fosse aplicado a uma carcaça carbonizada.Palavras-chave: Entomologia Forense, intervalo pós-morte, carcaça carbonizada, Caliptratae, moscas.

No abstract

Resumo. Em investigações criminais, a entomologia forense torna-se uma importante ferramenta em uma das suas principais aplicações que são os cálculos de estimativa de intervalo pós-morte (IPM), onde os dípteros da família Calliphoridae constituem uma das principais famílias de interesse forense. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo verificar a ocorrência das espécies desta família durante o processo de decomposição de carcaças suínas exposta durante as quatro estações do ano em um fragmento de Mata Atlântica na cidade do Salvador, Bahia, Brasil. Durante o experimento, os insetos adultos foram capturados em armadilhas específicas, e os imaturos coletados sobre a carcaça e criados para identificação pós-emergência. Além disso, verificamos a correlação entre as espécies que visitam a carcaça com aquelas que se desenvolvem na mesma, relacionando-a as fases da decomposição. Foram coletados 29136 adultos e do total de imaturos coletados apenas 1278 emergiram no laboratório. Os adultos capturados pertenciam às seguintes espécies: Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius), Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius), Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann), Chrysomya putoria (Wiedemann), Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann), Mesembrinella bellardiana (Aldrich), Hemilucilia segmentaria (Fabricius) e Chloroprocta idiodea (Robineau-Desvoidy). Os imaturos coletados e criados no laboratório, após a emergência, foram identificados como: C. macellaria, C. megacephala, C. albiceps, C. putoria, H. segmentaria e L. eximia. Constatou-se que há diferenças na abundância entre as espécies durante o experimento, sendo a espécie C. albiceps a mais prevalente. Esse trabalho contribuiu com informações essenciais para a implementação deste tipo de perícia na rotina do Laboratório de Entomologia Forense do DPT-BA.Temporal analysis of Calliphoridae (Diptera: Cyclorrhapha) in the process of decomposition in carcasses of swine (Sus scrofa Linnaeus) in Salvador, Bahia, BrazilAbstract. In criminal investigations, Forensic Entomology becomes an important tool for main applications, which are estimates of postmortem interval (IPM), where Diptera of the Calliphoridae family constitute one of the main families of forensic interest. The present work had as objective to verify the occurrence of the species of this family during the decomposition process of swine carcasses exposed during the four seasons of the year in a fragment of Atlantic Forest in the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. During the experiment, adult insects were captured in specific traps, and immature stages collected on the carcass created until the adult emergency for identification. In addition, we verified the correlation between the species that visit the carcass with those that develop in the same, related to the phases of the decomposition. A total of 29136 adults were collected and of the total number of immatures collected, only 1278 emerged in the laboratory. The captured adults belonged to the following species: Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius), Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius), Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann), Chrysomya putoria (Wiedemann), Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann), Mesembrinella bellardiana (Aldrich), Hemilucilia segmentaria (Fabricius) and Chloroprocta idiodea (Robineau-Desvoidy) (Robineau-Desvoidy). The immatures collected and created in the laboratory after the emergency were identified as: C. macellaria, C. megacephala, C. albiceps, C. putoria, H. segmentaria and L. eximia. It was verified that there are differences in the abundance between the species during the experiment, being the species C. albiceps the most prevalent. This work contributed with essential information for the implementation of this type of expertise in the routine of the Forensic Entomology Laboratory, DPT-BA.

Accurate insect specimen identification is usually a crucial first step in a forensic

Worldwide, several women become victims of rape every day. Many of those women are also murdered, with their bodies sometimes being found in an advanced state of decomposition, resulting in loss of evidence important to criminal investigations. Diptera is one of the main orders associated with human body decomposition. Fly species that belong to the family Calliphoridae are usually scavengers and are frequently found on ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 18 (1): gmr18189 C.A. Chamoun et al. 2 decomposing bodies, thereby playing an important role in forensic entomology. The recovery and genotyping of human Y-STR DNA from the gastrointestinal contents of the calliphorid Chrysomya albiceps larvae has promising applications in the investigation of sexual crimes, such as rape, and in cases of murder and abandonment of the victim's body, which may be found in a state of decomposition. We studied this species of fly with the aim of supporting such investigations. After establishment of a colony, larvae were fed with decomposing human semen mixed in ground bovine meat (1 mL per 200 g beef). Larvae (10-15) were collected every 24 h and kept in 70% ethanol, to give a total of 96 larvae obtained after eight days of decomposition. The digestive system of each larva was resected. Molecular typing was conducted, which comprised sample extraction, quantification, amplification, and capillary electrophoresis with 16 STR loci from the Y chromosome. We succeeded in establishing a Y-STR DNA profile, with amplification of up to 11 loci, from individual samples, or up to 15 loci, when a combination of samples corresponding to the time-points 48, 72, 120, 144, and 192 h was used.

Forensic entomology is the study of insects and other arthropods used in the solution of crimes. Most of entomological evidences strongly depend on accurate species identification. Therefore, new methods are being developed due to difficulties in morphological identification, including molecular methods such as High-Resolution Melting. In this study, we reported a new HRM primer set to identify forensically important Calliphoridae (blowflies) from Brazil. For such purpose, Calliphoridae species of forensic importance in Brazil were listed and confirmed by specialists. Mitochondrial COI sequences of those species were downloaded from databases and aligned, and polymorphic variations were selected for distinction between species. Based on it, HRM primers were designed. Forty-three fly samples representing six species were tested in the HRM assay. All samples had the COI gene sequenced to validate the result. Identifying and differentiating the six species proposed using a combination of two amplicons was possible. The protocol was effective even for old insect specimens, collected and preserved dried for more than ten years, unlike the DNA sequencing technique that failed for those samples. The HRM technique proved to be an alternative tool to DNA sequencing, with advantage of amplifying degraded samples and being fast and cheaper than the sequencing technique.

No abstract