Abstract. The decomposition of small carcasses in the open is frequently neglected although it may provide information of forensic importance. This paper describes an experimental study of arthropod species associated with carcasses of mouse, Mus musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) and rat, Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769) (Rodentia: Muridae). Four carcasses were left inside iron cages in sunlit and shady areas in a secondary forest in Southeastern Brazil twice a season for four seasons (n = 16 carcasses of each rodent). The carcasses were removed when arthropods ceased to visit them. The visiting and colonizing invertebrates were collected daily and identified. Immatures were also collected and reared in a laboratory for identification. We collected 6,514 arthropods (820 adults and 5,694 juvenile forms) belonging to 53 species from the families Sarcophagidae, Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Fanniidae, Syrphidae, Richardiidae, Sepsidae, Micropezidae, Otitidae, Drosophilidae, Phoridae, Dolichopodidae, Anthomyiidae, Asilidae and Lauxaniidae (Diptera), Formicidae, Ichneumonidae, Encyrtidae and Apidae (Hymenoptera), Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) and Gonyleptidae (Opiliones). Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann, 1819) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and Peckia (Pattonella) intermutans (Walker, 1861) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) deserve special attention because both adult and immature forms were collected in all seasons and in both areas. Our results indicate that the frequency of occurrence of these arthropods was positively associated with carcass size (mouse or rat); no marked insect succession on the carcasses occurred; and the diversity of Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae was high, irrespective of season.

Helminths can be transmitted to human beings in several ways, but little attention has been given to vector or mechanical transmission of infective forms by insects. The present study surveys the helminth species present in three orders of insects that coexist in proximity with the human environment. A total of 700 insects (54 Blattodea, 275 Diptera, and 371 Hymenoptera) were collected and examined externally and individually. In the Blattodea order, only specimens of Periplaneta americana were collected, and 58.3% were carrying the following helminth forms: Oxyuridae eggs (36.4%), Ascaridae eggs (28.04%), Nematoda larvae (4.8%), Cestoda eggs (3.5%), other Nematoda (0.08%), and Toxocaridae eggs (0.08%). No Diptera and Hymenoptera were found to contain parasitic forms. This study evaluates the importance and role of insects as mechanical vectors of helminth parasites, correlated with social and environmental conditions, and suggests the use of these data for preventive purposes.

We carried out a year-long survey of insects, using carrion-baited traps in the municipality of Campinas and Þve surrounding municipalities with different urbanization proÞles, in southeastern Brazil. We studied the spatio-temporal variability and preferences for type of bait of three blow ßy species that are forensically important in Brazil: Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann), Chrysomya megacephala (F.), and Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann). All three species preferred chicken. C. albiceps and L. eximia preferred the urban environment, while C. megacephala preferred the rural environment. Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Fanniidae, and Sarcophagidae were the most numerous families. No clear seasonal patterns could be recognized for the three species. The associations of species/municipality, species/environment, and species/bait are discussed from the ecological and forensic standpoints.

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-The ecological position of the family Formicidae in animal carcasses varies from predator, when feeding on eggs, larvae and pupae of some insects to necrophagous, when the ants feed on exudates or decomposing tissues. Ants are present in human corpses subject to forensic analyses and can also be used in estimation of the post-mortem interval (PMI). Cephalotes clypeatus Fabricius is exclusively arboricolous and occurs only in the American continent. During a field study conducted in the Campus of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, in December 2003, a laboratory mouse carcass weighing 35,9 g was placed in an iron-mesh cage, which was adequate to collect adult ants. The carcass decomposed in four days. The total of 82 specimens of C. clypeatus was collected, in the first two days of exposure. They were observed feeding on exudates, tissues of the carcass, and on Diptera larvae occurring in the carcass. This species was observed nesting in hollow branches of Senna multijuga (Rich.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby (Caesalpinaceae), which was found one-meter far from the cage. Further investigation on the biology of this Cephalotini must be performed, in order to understand the role of this species in the utilization of animal carcasses, and in the entomological succession process as well. This is the first report of C. clypeatus in animal carcasses.KEY WORDS: Ant, forensic entomology, Senna multijuga, Brazil RESUMO -A posição ecológica dos himenópteros da família Formicidae em carcaças animais varia de predador, ao alimentar-se de ovos, larvas e pupas de alguns insetos, a necrófago, quando se alimentam de exudatos ou dos tecidos em decomposição. As formigas estão presentes em cadáveres humanos sujeitos a análises forenses e podem inclusive ser úteis na determinação do intervalo post-mortem (IPM). Cephalotes clypeatus Fabricius é exclusivamente arborícola, e ocorre apenas no continente americano. Durante experimento realizado em dezembro de 2003 no campus da Universidade Estadual de Campinas, uma carcaça de camundongo (Mus musculus, linhagem Swiss) de 35,9 g foi exposta em aparato adequado para coleta de exemplares de formigas adultas. A carcaça se decompôs totalmente em quatro dias. Foram coletados 82 exemplares adultos de C. clypeatus, nos dois primeiros dias de exposição. Os indivíduos de C. clypeatus foram observados alimentando-se dos exudatos, tecidos da carcaça e de larvas de dípteros que se encontravam na carcaça. O himenóptero em questão nidificou em galhos ocos de Senna multijuga (Rich.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby (Caesalpinaceae), que se localizava a 1 m do aparato que continha a carcaça. Estudos quanto à biologia desse Cephalotini são necessários, para que se possa ter noção exata do papel da espécie na utilização dos recursos de carcaças animais, e, portanto, no processo de sucessão entomológica. Trata-se do primeiro registro de C. clypeatus em carcaças animais. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Formiga, entomologia forense, Senna multijuga, Brasil A posição ecológica das formigas em carcaças animais varia de predador, ao ali...