Abstract: Studying the entomosarcosaprophagous community is useful in
forensic practice to estimate postmortem interval both on the basis of
larval development of the main species and considering the
sarcosaprophagous community as a whole. Since such community is affected
by different environmental variables, it is needed to be studied under
different environmental conditions. For forensic purposes, the most
important component of the community is the necrophagous, mainly Diptera,
some of which are known to be the first arthropods to arrive at the
corpse and show certain differences between urban and rural sites.
Otherwise, and because experimental studies are usually conducted with
biomodels other than human corpses, it is needed to verify whether the
type of decomposing animal matter affects, or not, to decomposition
process and related fauna. So, a seasonal study was conducted on
sarcosaprophagous Diptera community in two different sites of Región de
Murcia (SE Spain): a natural pinewood, where a piglet carcass was used,
and a periurban site, where piglet and chicken carcasses were used. Three
modified Schoenly traps were used as collecting device. Samples were
taken daily for 15 days between autumn 2006 and summer 2007. To analyze
possible differences regarding faunal composition among samples, a oneway
PERMANOVA analysis was applied. Results show significant differences
for the interaction locality-season but suggest that the community as a
whole is similar in both localities despite environmental conditions.
Results also show significant differences for the interaction baitseason,
being families Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Fanniidae, Phoridae and
Sarcophagidae the main groups responsible of such differences.