This is the first report of occurrence of Vespa velutina Lepeletier from Korea. The diagnosis and taxonomic relationship between geographical subspecies is provided, with a revised key to complement the previous taxonomic information of Korean Vespa species. The ecological aspect of the species is also discussed.
It is noticed by some researchers that ants may cause some forensic confusion in understanding death scenes. In the aspect of relationship between the ant-animal decomposition, we observed the behavior of ants congregating on dead animals. Amongst various species of ants visiting dead rabbits, Tetramorium tsushimae Emery was noticeable in producing scratched scars, mounds, and nests around dead rabbits and covering them with soils. The behaviors are likely to interfere or to disturb the usual process of decomposition succession lead by maggots. We discussed that a series of cadaveric behaviors of T. tsushimae may be used as a potential forensic hint not to misunderstand death scenes disturbed by the species.
The decomposition process is an important factor in forensics, and flies play a crucial role in the decomposition of animals and humans. However, there remains limited information on the effect of flies that attend death scenes. This study assesses the effect of the presence or absence of blowflies on the rate and process of cadaver decomposition in the spring, summer, and autumn from 2016 to 2020 on Yeongdo Island, Busan, South Korea. Nine blowfly species belonging to four genera in two subfamilies were sampled. The blowflies that approached the cadavers differed between seasons, but Chrysomya pinguis (Walker) was the dominant species regardless of the season. Blowfly presence on cadavers significantly affected the duration of the decomposition stage and the pattern of weight loss in nearly all scenarios. With the presence of blowflies, the decomposition rate was four times faster in spring, three times faster in summer, and nine times faster in autumn. These results show that the presence or absence of blowflies is an essential factor in the decomposition process of cadavers. Therefore, it should be taken into account when estimating postmortem intervals in medicolegal forensic entomology.
Succession patterns spanning three seasons for insect fauna on pig cadavers were studied in Changwon, South Korea in 2018 and 2019. A total of 107 species belonging to 41 families in six orders were collected and identified. Four decomposition stages were recognized: fresh, bloated, decay, and dry. The number of species increased significantly after the fresh stage and reached the maximum number by the decay stage. The sequence of insect succession followed a general pattern in which Diptera peaked initially and Coleoptera peaked later. Chrysomya pinguis was the most frequently present species, and the timing of its different developmental stages on cadavers could be the most important indicator for post-mortem interval estimations in Changwon. Spatial and seasonal differences in the richness of insects were not significant. However, Calliphora nigribarbis occurred exclusively in spring and autumn, and Pheropsophus javanus occurred exclusively in one locality. Therefore, these species may be important for characterizing the different seasons or locations during post-mortem interval estimations. A list of the insects associated with above-ground pig cadavers during the three seasons was compiled, and it may be useful for estimating the time since death in areas with a similar bioclimate.
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