Temporal distribution of ten calyptrate dipteran species of medicolegal importance in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Brazilian studies involving entomological succession patterns in carcasses have been used to describe the necrophagous entomofauna of a determined municipality or region with forensic objectives. Following the same objectives, an ecological study with 10 calyptrate dipterans was carried out during the winter of 2007 and the summer of 2008 in the metropolitan region of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. The aim of this study was to describe several aspects of the phenology of these species in three neighbouring areas. Carcasses of three domestic pigs (Sus scrofa L.) were used in each season as models for forensic and legal medicine investigations in the region. Temperature, relative humidity and rainfall were measured daily and their relations with population abundance of the colonising species and the decomposition stages were analysed. Ten fly species were recorded to be colonising the carcasses, five of which belonged to the Calliphoridae family, three to the Muscidae, one to the Fanniidae and one to the Sarcophagidae family. Data show preferences of these species for climatic season and decomposition stage, as well as for the studied area and suggest that short distances can significantly influence the abundance of some species.
Barbosa
Rodrigo Rocha
RR
Laboratório de Transmissores de Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. rodrigorb1@hotmail.com
Mello-Patiu
Cátia Antunes de
CA
Ururahy-Rodrigues
Alexandre
A
Barbosa
Celso Guimarães
CG
Queiroz
Margareth Maria de Carvalho
MM
D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004175:Diptera / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology; D004463:Ecology; D011156:Population Density; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012621:Seasons; D034421:Sus scrofa; D014505:Urban Population