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Essential Studies UNDergraduate Showcase Essential Studies Program

5-3-2018

Forensic Entomology and the Order ColeopteraCarrie PrattUniversity of North Dakota

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Recommended CitationPratt, Carrie, "Forensic Entomology and the Order Coleoptera" (2018). Essential Studies UNDergraduate Showcase. 10.https://commons.und.edu/es-showcase/10

Latin Name Common Name Relevant Food Sources Fun Fact

Silphidae Carrion beetles Insect larvae and flesh8 Over 1,500 species worldwide and 46 species in North America9.

Staphylinidae Rove beetles Insect larvae8 The largest family of insects in North America9.

Cleridae Checkered beetles Insect larvae; a subset feeds directly on flesh8 Appear when most of the flesh has been removed during late decomposition9.

Dermestidae Skin, hide, leather, and carpet beetles Dry tissues; larvae feed on hair and skin8 Certain species are capable of skeletonizing a human body in as little as twenty-four days9.

Trogidae Hide beetles Dry tissues8 As many as eight different species have been found on a single body9.

Scarabaeidae Scarab beetles Feed larvae with flesh9 One of the largest beetle families, with over 19,000 species, but only 14 species are associated with bodies9.

Nitidulidae Sap beetles Flesh8 Although most sap beetles prefer plant fluids, the necrophagous beetles prefer the dry stages of decomposition8.

Histeridae Clown beetles Insect larvae8 Hide beneath the body during the day and emerge at night to feed on larvae8.

Sphaeritidae False clown beetles Flesh8 There are only four species in this group, with only species in the Pacific Northwest8.

Agyrtidae Primitive carrion beetles Flesh8 Once grouped with Silphidae, there are eleven species in North America, ten of which are on the Pacific Coast8.

Geotrupidae Earth-boring dung beetles Flesh8 These beetles colonize bodies during the most active stages of decomposition8.

Forensic Entomology and the Order Coleoptera

Silphidae is one of, if not the most important family of beetle in forensic entomology. They are typically characterized by their

relatively large size, body shape, and club shaped antennae6. They are typically black, but may also have yellow, orange, or red

markings6. The majority of this family is associated with carrion, where the larvae typically feed on flesh and the adults feed

on the larvae of other species, eliminating competition.

There are two different subfamilies that differ depending on their behavior7. Members of the subfamily Silphinae colonize

large carrion and exhibit little to no parental care, while members of the subfamily Nicrophorinae tend to colonize smaller

carrion and exhibit parental care7. The subfamily Nicrophorinae is interesting in that it contains burying beetles, that may bury

the carrion if it is small enough8.

Necrophila americana, the American carrion beetle, is a common necrophagous beetle in the Silphinae subfamily that is found

east of the Rocky Mountains9(Figure 1). These diurnal beetles feed on the larvae of flies and other beetles, while larvae feed on

the carrion directly9. Another species, Necrodes littoralis, the shore sexton beetle, belongs to the subfamily Nicrophorinae

(Figure 1). This beetle is so common in Europe that in a study of over 150 French forensic cases, this species was found one

case out of every eight10. These beetles are common on large vertebrate bodies, however, both adults and larvae feed directly

on carrion and on Diptera larvae, although their preference follows that of Necrophila americana10.

Forensic entomology is a relatively new branch of forensic science,

becoming common only in the past thirty or so year3. Entomological

evidence is accepted in United States courts, and gaining acceptance in

major European4.

Seventy-two hours after death, traditional pathological indicators of PMI

are no longer reliable5. Insect developmental patterns can be used to

accurately determine time of death after this period, especially when the

body is in late decomposition. Using this method is more reliable than

pathological indicators, making forensic entomology incredibly important

to criminal investigations.

Further Research Instar classification of forensically significant beetle species; difficult due

to a lack of instar specific features13. Need to create more reference

scales.

Timelines of arrivals that are more specific; research into phenology, the

study of seasonal cycles.

Interactions between Coleoptera species and organisms; antimicrobial

compounds14, phoretic mechanically transported mites, and microbial

hindgut communities15.

Effects of buried, burned, and immersed bodies, and premortem insect

colonization.

Medico-legal forensic entomology is the study of insects to aid in

determining time, place, manner, and cause of death1. Identification of the

postmortem interval (PMI), or the time that has passed since a person has

died, is arguably one of the most important pieces of information that

forensic entomology can provide. The PMI can be found using either

insect developmental rates or entomofaunal succession, the arrival of

different insects at a body at different time points.

The largest group of insects, the beetles, is the order Coleoptera, which

contains 25% of all animal species2. Members of this order are critical to

the field of forensic entomology, predominantly necrophagous beetles that

feed directly on the tissues of bodies, but also those that feed on the larvae

of necrophagous insects. The family Silphidae, also known as carrion

beetles, is an especially important group which employs both feeding

strategies. Understanding both the order Coleoptera and the family

Silphidae and how they relate to the field of forensic entomology is an

important step in recognizing their importance and furthering research

into necrophagous beetles.

Carrie Pratt

Biology Department, University of North Dakota College of Arts and Sciences

Forensic entomology is extremely important to criminal investigations,

and can more reliably determine PMI than traditional methods, by using

the arrival and development of insects.

Beetles, specifically the family of necrophagous beetles, Silphidae, are an

important and interesting group that can be of significant value to the field

of forensic entomology.

Conclusions

1. Catts, E.P., & Goff, M.L. (1992). Forensic entomology in criminal investigations. Annu Rev Entomol, 37, 253-272.

2. Hammond, P.M. (1992). Species inventory. Global Biodiversity, 17-39.

3. Anderson, G. S. (2003). Forensic entomology: The use of insects in death investigations.

4. Campobasso, C.P., & Introna, F. (2001). The forensic entomologist in the context of the forensic pathologist's role. Forensic Sci Int, 120, 132-139.

5. Rhodes, E.T. (2016). Law enforcement and crime: Law, crime, and law enforcement. New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. ISBN 978-1-6348-4127-6.

6. Monk, E., Hinson, K., Szewcyzk, T., D’Oench, H., & McCain, C. M. (2016). Key to the carrion beetles (Silphidae) of Colorado and neighboring states.

7. Sikes, D.S., Trumbo, S.T., & Peck, S.B. (2005). Silphidae (Latreille, 1807): Large carrion and burying beetles.

8. Hadley, D. (2017). Beetles that eat bodies. https://www.thoughtco.com/beetles-that-eat-bodies-1968326

9. Byrd, J.H., & Castner, J.L. (2000). Forensic entomology: The utility of arthropods in legal investigations. New York: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-8120-1.

10. Charabidze, D., Vincent, B., Pasquerault, T., & Hedouin, V. (2016). The biology and ecology of Necrodes littoralis, a species of forensic interest in Europe.

Int J Legal Med 130(1), 273-280.

11. Oliver, M.K. (2011). Necrophila americana (Linnaeus) pair [digital image].

12. Descouens, D. (2011). Necrodes littoralis MHNT [digital image].

13. Frątczak, K., & Matuszewski, S. (2016). Classification of forensically-relevant larvae according to instar in a closely related species of carrion beetles

(Coleoptera: Silphidae: Silphinae). Forensic Sci Med Pathol, 12, 193–197.

14. Vogel, H., Shukla, S.P., Engl, T., Weiss, B., Fischer, R., Steiger, S., Heckel, D.G., Kaltenpoth, M., & Vilcinskas, A. (2017). The digestive and defensive

basis of carcass utilization by the burying beetle and its microbiota. Nat Commun 8, 15186.

15. Kaltenpoth, M., & Steiger, S. (2013). Unearthing carrion beetles' microbiome: Characterization of bacterial and fungal hindgut communities across the

Silphidae. Mol Ecol, 23(6), 1251–1267.

References

Introduction Background

Relevance

Figure 1. Silphid Beetles. Left is Necrophila americana11, right is Necrodes littoralis12.