A preliminary study on decomposition and seasonality of insect succession of decomposing rabbit carcasses at El-Sharkia Governorate, Egypt

Abstract

Background Studying insect succession on carcasses is important in estimating the postmortem interval. This study aims to identify the decomposition stages of decomposing rabbit carcasses and to find out the relationship between seasonal variations and abundance of insects colonizing rabbit carcasses at El-Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. Methods Three domestic rabbits (weighing 1300 g each) were killed by a sharp knife. The carcasses were exposed to the sun, left to decompose and inspected twice daily at 6-h intervals to collect insects. Maggots were collected and reared. Results The rabbit carcasses underwent four decomposition stages: fresh, bloat, decay and dry stages. The identified families and their respective collected species included three dipteran families: Calliphoridae (Lucilia sericata, Chrysomya megacephala, and Chrysomya albiceps), Sarcophagidae (Sarcophaga argyrostoma) and Muscidae (Musca domestica and Synthesiomyia nudiseta), three coleopteran families. Histeridae (Saprinus semistriatus), Cleridae (Necrobia rufipes) and Dermestidae (Dermestes frischii and Attagenus gloriosus) and three hymenopteran families: Chalcididae (Brachymeria femorata), Vespidae (Vespa orientalis) and Formicidae (Monomorium sp.). Carrion fauna was dominated by dipteran and coleopteran species, with calliphorid and sarcophagid flies found to play a significant role in carrion consumption process. Conclusion The succession pattern and decomposition rate were season dependent. The information collected may help establish the basic database for entomological forensic investigations in the future. Graphical abstract