Forensic Entomology
Forensic Entomology
Forensic entomology is the Scientific study of the invasion of the succession pattern of arthropods with their developmental stages of different species different in species found on the decomposed cadavers during the legal investigation.
It is the application and study of insects , arachnids , centipedes , millipedes and crustacean to criminal or legal cases.It also helps to detect drugs and poisons, determine the location of an incident and find the presence and time of the infliction of wounds.
Forensic entomology has 3 sub fields :-
- Urban forensic entomology:-
- urban forensic entomology typically concerns pests infestation in building , gardens or that maybe basis of litigation between private parties and service providers such as landlord or extreminators.
- It helps to determine chain of custody , when all the possible infestation are examined in order to determine who is at fault.
- Stored - product forensic entomology :-
- Stored product forensic entomology is often used in litigation over insects infestation or contamination of commercially distributed foods
- Medico- legal forensic entomology :-
- Medico legal forensic entomology covers evidence gathered through anthropod studies at the schemes murder , suicide , rape , physical abuse and contraband trafficking.
Application of forensic entomology :-
- Scorpionfiles ( insect ):- presence of scorpionfly indicates that a body must be fresh.
- Blowflies ( insect) :- ability to smell death from ten miles (16 km)
- Flesh flies (insect) :-Breed in carrion, dung, garbage , or decaying wounds of mammals
- Humpback flies (insect):- larvae feed on decaying bodies
- Rove beetles :- found on the corpse when it more decomposed
- Hipster beetles:- carrion feeding species
- Mites:- feed on corpses in early stages of decomposition
- Moths :- feed on mammalian hair during their larval stages and may forage on any hair that remains on a body
- Wasps , ants and bees :-feed on body , some are also predatory, and eat the insects feeding on the body