Association of Oxelytrum cayennense (Silphidae, Coleoptera) with Pig Carcasses (Sus scrofa, Suidae) in Terra Firme Areas in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

Colonization aspects of the carrion beetle Oxelytrum cayennense (Sturm) in man-size pig carcasses (~60 kg) are presented at Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve, Manaus, Brazil. This species colonized pig carcasses from bloated to skeletonized stages. Adults were eventually observed preying on fly larvae fr...

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Published inEntomoBrasilis Vol. 3; no. 3; pp. 45 - 48
Main Authors Pujol Luz, José Roberto, Rocha Barbosa, Rodrigo, Rafael, José Albertino, Loureiro Henriques, Augusto, de Carvalho Queiroz, Margareth Maria, Neves Baroni, Marcus, Ururahy Rodrigues, Alexandre
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Entomologistas do Brasil 2010
Subjects
Amazônia Central
Central Amazonia
Entomologia Forense
Forensic Entomology
Silfídeos
Silphids
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Summary:Colonization aspects of the carrion beetle Oxelytrum cayennense (Sturm) in man-size pig carcasses (~60 kg) are presented at Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve, Manaus, Brazil. This species colonized pig carcasses from bloated to skeletonized stages. Adults were eventually observed preying on fly larvae from the second day postmortem and their larvae were observed from the fifth day postmortem feeding on skeletonized areas, probably cleaning the bones of the remaining soft tissues. Adult beetles with predatory behavior on the oldest Diptera larvae can impact their populations and thereby complicate the estimation of the time of death as these larvae are frequently used as a postmortem indicator. In addition, both larvae and adult developmental stages have potential use as a postmortem interval (PMI) indicator because the adult can colonizes carcasses from the second postmortem day onward and the larvae from the fifth day onward.
ISSN:1983-0572
1983-0572