The importance of carcass volatiles as attractants for the hide beetle Dermestes maculatus (De Geer)

Hoermann, Christian von; Rüther, Joachim; Reibe, Saskia; Madea, Burkhard; Ayasse, Manfred

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.06.009

Cited by 63 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The animals were prepared in a local slaughterhouse in compliance with EU regulations. During euthanasia, efforts were made to reduce blood loss, as blood plasma is considered an additional fluid Table 1 An overview of the main factors affecting the decomposition rate [3,9,10,12,18,24,31,32,35]. The carcasses were placed amongst ruins for simulating the entrapment environment after the collapse of a building.…”

Section: Experimental Set-upmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Analysis of volatile organic compounds released from the decay of surrogate human models simulating victims of collapsed buildings by thermal desorption–comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time of flight mass spectrometry

Agapiou

Zorba

Mikedi

et al. 2015

Analytica Chimica Acta

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Section: Experimental Set-upmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research in this area has made significant progress, despite ethical restrictions on human cadavers, with decomposing pig [8][9][10][11][12] and other carcasses (e.g., cow, chicken, mice, coneys, etc.) [12][13][14] being used as human body analogs, alongside limited studies of human decomposing tissues [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of volatile organic compounds released from the decay of surrogate human models simulating victims of collapsed buildings by thermal desorption–comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time of flight mass spectrometry

Agapiou

Zorba

Mikedi

et al. 2015

Analytica Chimica Acta

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“…The volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are released during the process of decomposition, are most likely responsible for the attraction of the above-mentioned cadaver insects [9,10], provided that the remains are sufficiently exposed. Otherwise, some restrictions occur with respect to host detection and the time required for reaching the remains when cadavers are buried, covered or wrapped [11-13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the presence of hide beetles can be used for the estimation of the post-mortem interval (PMI) in forensic investigations [30,31]. Forensic chemoecological studies have revealed that freshly emerged male hide beetles are attracted by the odour of piglet carcasses during the post-bloating stage as early as 9 days after death (T mean = 27°C) and that benzyl butyrate is a key component for beetle attraction [9]. However, females are not attracted by the odour of piglet carcasses in various stages of decay [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Forensic chemoecological studies have revealed that freshly emerged male hide beetles are attracted by the odour of piglet carcasses during the post-bloating stage as early as 9 days after death (T mean = 27°C) and that benzyl butyrate is a key component for beetle attraction [9]. However, females are not attracted by the odour of piglet carcasses in various stages of decay [9]. Therefore, in our previous study [9], we have hypothesized that male pheromones, which are responsible for the above-mentioned mixed-sex aggregations [23], also might play a role in far-range female attraction when combined with cadaver odour.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The attraction of virgin female hide beetles (Dermestes maculatus) to cadavers by a combination of decomposition odour and male sex pheromones

2012

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IntroductionThe hide beetle Dermestes maculatus (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) feeds as an adult and larva on decomposing animal remains and can also be found on human corpses. Therefore, forensic entomological questions with regard to when and how the first receptive females appear on carcasses are important, as the developmental stages of their larvae can be used to calculate the post-mortem interval. To date, we know that freshly emerged males respond to the cadaver odour of post-bloated carcasses (approximately 9 days after death at Tmean = 27°C), being attracted by benzyl butyrate. This component occurs at its highest concentration at this stage of decay. The aim of our study was to determine the principle of attraction of virgin females to the feeding and breeding substrate. For this purpose, we tested the response of these females to headspace samples of piglet cadavers and male sex pheromones [(Z9)-unsaturated fatty acid isopropyl esters] in a Y-olfactometer. Because we expected that such an odour combination is of importance for virgin female attraction, we tested the following two questions:1) Are virgin female hide beetles attracted by a combination of cadaver odour and male sex pheromones?2) During which decomposition stage do the first virgin females respond to cadaver odour when combined with male sex pheromones?ResultsWe found that young virgin females were attracted to the cadaver by a combination of cadaver odour and male sex pheromones. Neither cadaver odour alone nor male sex pheromones alone was significantly more attractive than a solvent control. Our results also gave a weak indication that the first young virgin females respond as early as the post-bloating stage to its associated decomposition odour when combined with male sex pheromones.ConclusionsOur results indicate that freshly emerged males possibly respond to cadaver odour and visit carcasses before virgin females. Being attracted to cadavers when male sex pheromone is perceived as well, virgin females can optimise their reproductive possibilities.

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Climate Change and its Effects on the Chemical Ecology of Insect Parasitoids

Holopainen

Himanen

Poppy

2013

Chemical Ecology of Insect Parasitoids

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Over the course of evolutionary time, insect parasitoids have developed diverse strategies for using chemical compounds to communicate with various protagonists within their environment (i.e. conspecifi cs, their hosts, and the plants on which their hosts are living). Unravelling the evolutionary meaning of such chemical communication networks not only provides new insights into the ecology of these insects but also contributes to improving the use of parasitoids for the control of insect pests in biological control programmes. A book covering our current knowledge of the chemical ecology of insect parasitoids is therefore particularly timely and will appeal to a large number of potential readers worldwide, from university students to senior scientists. Internationally recognized specialists were invited to contribute chapters to this book, examining the main topics and exploring the most interesting issues in the fi eld of chemical ecology of insect parasitoids. The chapters are organized so as to present the most signifi cant knowledge and discoveries made over recent decades, and their potential uses in pest control.

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The importance of carcass volatiles as attractants for the hide beetle Dermestes maculatus (De Geer)

Cited by 63 publications

References 20 publications

Analysis of volatile organic compounds released from the decay of surrogate human models simulating victims of collapsed buildings by thermal desorption–comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time of flight mass spectrometry

Analysis of volatile organic compounds released from the decay of surrogate human models simulating victims of collapsed buildings by thermal desorption–comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time of flight mass spectrometry

The attraction of virgin female hide beetles (Dermestes maculatus) to cadavers by a combination of decomposition odour and male sex pheromones

Climate Change and its Effects on the Chemical Ecology of Insect Parasitoids

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