Figure 1: Forensic Entomology ( )
Forensic entomology is a subdiscipline of entomology that studies a number of insects related to forensic science and criminal investigation. In a pending death case, a forensic entomologist can go to the scene of the crime to collect evidence of insects to help investigators determine the time and cause of the victim's criminal death. Carrion-feeding beetles are just some of these insects, because they feed on dead organism tissue, so they can provide clues about the detection of the case. Of course, in addition to the coleoptera ghoul beetles, forensic entomologists also keep other taxa of insects, including other predators that hunt ghoul insects.
Forensic entomologists collect beetles and other insects from or near the victim's dead carcass and use information about the known life cycle and behavior of these insects to determine facts such as the time of death. There are many beetles that can provide such ecological services in criminal investigations. Here we highlight 10 taxa of beetles associated with vertebrate carcasses. Some of these beetles have proven useful in the investigation of criminal cases.
First, the skin beetle of the dermatophyllaceae
Figure 2. Skin beetles
Dermestidae-like beetles, "dermestids", "skin beetles" or "hides" "Kaōkui Mushi".
The larvae of the beetle have an unusual ability to digest keratin. After other animals devoured the soft tissues of the carcass, the beetles were late in the decomposition process, eating only the remaining dry skin and hair. Beetle larvae are one of the most common insects forensic entomologists can collect from carcasses.
2. The Guo Gong worm of the family Guo GongJia
Figure 3. A type of blacklegged ham beetle (Chinese meaning "black-footed ham beetle")
Cleridae-like beetle, English cry "checkered beetles" or "bone beetles". "Kakukomushi"
Most of the zoe eat the larvae of other insects. However, a small number of species of Zoyolaria in this family prefer to eat the flesh of vertebrates. Entomologists sometimes refer to these beetles as bone beetles or ham beetles. Red-legged ham beetle (red-legged) is probably one of the most common pests people use to store meat. In general, Guo Gong worms may be collected from corpses in the later stages of decomposition.
3. The physical burial armor of the funeral nail family
Figure 4. Burial armor
Buried A is called "carrion beetles" (Chinese meaning "corpse armor"), "burying beetles" (Chinese meaning "burial nail"), or "sexton beetles" (Chinese meaning "funeral nail"). In Japanese, it is called "burial armor (まいそうこう)". In insect taxonomy , the burial beetles belong to the Coleoptera family Silphidae.
Bury beetle larvae to ingest vertebrate carcasses. Adults feed on maggots, a clever way to alleviate the competition for carrion between their offspring larvae and maggots. Beetles of this family are called burial beetles because of the extraordinary ability to bury small animal carcasses. With a little attention to the scene of death, it is easy to find burial armor. The burial armor will live in the corpse at any stage of decomposition.
4. The Dermatophyllaceae
Figure 5. PiJin turtle
Trogidae-like beetle-like skin gold,Hide beetles" or "skin beetles" are shouted by Ying-ying Chuya. "Fur turtles"
Even if there are golden turtles that have lived on corpses, it is easy to ignore these beetles. These beetles are tiny, dark in color, and rough in texture, and they are perfectly camouflaged against a background of decaying muscle color. Forensic entomologists have collected as many as 8 different species of golden turtles from the same corpse.
5. Scarab beetles of the family Golden Turtle Beetle
Figure 6. Dung scarab beetle
Scarabaeoidea-like beetle-like "scarab beetles". "Koganemushi"
The family Laminae is a large taxon in the order Coleoptera. To date, more than 19,000 species of scarab beetles have been discovered and described worldwide. Among them, there are about 1,000 species in China and about 1,400 in North America. This group includes dung turtles of the family Geotrupidae. Dung golden turtle is also known as dung beetle, commonly known as shell lang. Adults roll feces into balls and lay eggs in them (hence the English name "tumblebugs", which means "tumbling worm" in Chinese). The hatching larvae feed on it. So far, there are about 600 species in the world and nearly 100 in China. It is possible to find scarab beetles above or below corpses or carrion, especially dung golden turtles.
6. Cryptoptera of the cryptoptera family
Figure 7. Cryptoptera
Staphylinidae-like beetles, commonly known as "erematic beetles" or "blue lumlumbus". Shout "rove beetles" in the middle of the british. "Hanemushi" shouts in the sun.
Although cryptoptera are not carriivating insects, they are associated with carcasses and carrion. They can prey on maggots on cadavers or carrion and other insects that can be found on carrion. Cryptoptera can colonize or near corpses at any stage of decay, but they avoid very moist substrates. Cryptoptera is one of the largest beetle taxa in the order Coleoptera, and about 58,000 cryptoptera species have been discovered and described worldwide. Of these, 183 species were recorded in China, and more than 4,000 species of cryptoptera were found and described in North America.
7. The tailless nails of the family Epilodocetes
Figure 8. Tailless nails
Nitidulidae-like beetle-conpelled roo-tailed shell. "sap beetles" shouting. "The back of the tail of the dew"
The tailless beetles are generally carriivat, but a few species are predatory beetles. Most of the tail beetles live where organic matter ferments or plant sap becomes sour, so you may find them on rotten watermelons or where sap flows from trees. Therefore, the English name of the dewtail beetle is "sap beetle" (Chinese means "sap beetle"). However, some species of tailless nails prefer to appear in places where dead bodies are present, because by the later drying stage of decomposition of corpses, they can find food that suits them. Therefore, these types of tailless nails may have some value for forensic analysis.
VIII. The Worms of the Family Yanaceae
Figure 9. Demon Worm
Histeridae-like beetle. "clown beetles" (汉语语为 "kobane beetle"), "hister beetles". "Enmamushi".
Demons prefer to inhabit carrion, animal droppings, or other decaying substances. They rarely exceed 10cm in length. During the day, the worms like to hide in the soil under corpses or excrement. They fly out at night and begin to move, preying on some scavengering insects, such as larvae of maggots or skin sacs. There are also taxa that live under the bark of trees and prey on moths in the trunks. There are also some peculiar taxa that symbiosis with ants. More than 3,000 species of demon worms have been discovered and described worldwide.
IX. Pseudo-oblate armor of the family Lentilidae
Sphaeritidae-like beetle- instep. English shouting "false clown beetles" ("汉语为" 假阎侾欖汉汉语为为兕阎汉语汉兕 Nissin state "Hyakuenko".
The flattened carapace is small, 4–6 mm long, ovate, with slightly convexities on the dorsal and ventral surfaces. Smooth, black, shimmering metallic. Flattened round nails often live in the carrion and feces of animals, but also in decaying fungi. Their use in forensic investigations is limited because of the small number and number of species and distributions in the department. Only 4 species have been found and described worldwide, of which 1 in China, called , was found in Shaanxi. There is also only one species in North America, called , which is distributed in the Alaska region of the Pacific Northwest.
10. Burial armor of the family Foreshadowing
Beetles of the family Agyrtidae are also commonly known as forfibers. It is called "primitive carrion beetles" in English, which means "primitive burial armor" in Chinese.
Like flat round nails, the species of burial armor are also small in number and limited in distribution, so their forensic value is not great. More than 60 species of burial armor have been found and described around the world, and it is said that they have also been found in China. There are 11 species living in North America, of which 10 live in the Pacific coastal states. These beetles were once thought to be a species of the family Fungus, and there are still some literature that classify them as the Family Ofetidae. Forage armor can be found in carrion or decaying plant matter.
Figure 10. Nibbus burial armor