First record ofPhormia regina(Meigen, 1826) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) from mummies at the Sant’Antonio Abate Cathedral of Castelsardo, Sardinia, Italy

Abstract

The studies of insects from archaeological contexts can provide an important supplement of information to reconstruct past events, climate and environments. Furthermore, the list of the species present in an area in the past allows the reconstruction of the entomofauna on that area at that time, that can be different from the nowadays condition, providing information about biodiversity changes. In this work, the results of a funerary archaeoentomological study on samples collected from mummified corpses discovered during the restoration of the crypt of the Sant’Antonio Abate Cathedral of Castelsardo (Sardinia, Italy) are reported. The majority of the sampled specimens were Diptera puparia, whereas only few Lepidoptera cocoons and some Coleoptera fragments were isolated. Among Diptera, Calliphoridae puparia were identified as Phormia regina (Meigen, 1826) and Calliphora vicina, (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) both species typical of the first colonization waves of exposed bodies. Three puparia fragments were also identified as belonging to a Sarcophaga Meigen, 1826, species (Sarcophagidae). Several Muscidae puparia of the species Hydrotaea capensis (Weidmermann, 1818), a late colonizer of bodies, and typical of buried bodies were also collected. The few moth (Lepidoptera) cocoons were identified as belonging to the family Tineidae. This family comprises species feeding on dry tissues and hair typical of the later phases of the human decomposition. Among Coleoptera a single specimen in the family Histeridae, Saprinus semistriatus (Scriba, 1790) and a single elytra, potentially of a species in the family Tenebrionidae, were also collected. Overall, the samples collected indicated an initial colonization of the bodies in an exposed context, mainly in a warm season. This research allows the finding of elements indicating the presence, at least in the past, of P. regina in Sardinia. This species at the moment seems extinct from Sardinia while it is quite common in the continent.

Insights on Funeral Practices and Insects Associated With the Tombs of King Ferrante II d’Aragona and Other Renaissance Nobles

“…Part of the material was mounted on entomological card and photographed to create a pictorial archive useful for the identification of the species (Skidmore 1985, Smith 1986, Peacock 1993, Giordani et al 2018, Pradelli et al 2019. Where the species identification was not possible because the remains were incomplete, badly preserved or because of the lack of an identification key for that developmental stage or fragment (e.g., Lepidoptera cocoon and Coleoptera exuviae), identification was done to the taxonomic level of genus or family.…”

“…They can cover physical environment, vegetation, human subsistence practices as well as hygiene (Moret 1998, Green et al 2019. A more specific field within archaeoentomology is represented by funerary archaeoentomology, which mainly focuses on tombs or other burials of archaeological or historical interest (Huchet 2014, Giordani et al 2018. Funerary archaeoentomology can be considered a discipline partially overlapped with classic archaeoentomology and forensic entomology, since both deal with the study of human cadavers.…”

“…Information in funerary contexts is still poor, despite some efforts in the last decades, leading to the collection of data from excavation and exhumations performed in Europe, North Africa and South America (e.g., Panagiotakopulu 2001;Masetti et al 2008;Vanin et al 2009;Huchet and Greenberg 2010;Panagiotakopulu and Buckland 2012;Huchet et al 2013a,b;Gaudio et al 2015;Giordani et al 2018).…”

“…In order to improve the knowledge about the entomofauna associated with cadavers from archaeological contexts, herein we analyzed the insects collected from Ferrante II King of Naples and three other Italian Renaissance mummies of the Aragonese dynasty (15th-16th centuries). Mummies had been buried in the Basilica of San Domenico Maggiore in Naples, Italy, and later exhumed and studied by Fornaciari (2006), applying in this archaeological context the methodology and techniques used in forensic entomology (Giordani et al 2018). The entomofauna collected was analyzed to better understand the funerary practices, attempting to answer the following questions: 1) Did the body concealment in a coffin affect the composition of the cadaveric fauna?…”

Record of Leptometopa latipes (Diptera: Milichiidae) from a human cadaver in the Mediterranean area

“…Fly in the family of Muscidae are very common in body found in urban area [2,30] with some species typically found indoor as well in crypts and other hypogeal sites [31]. The Muscidae species, H. capensis, found on the corpse is typical of bodies that are stored in crypts or buried [2,[18][19][20] but also it is reported from active decomposing exposed bodies [2,11].…”