title: A Preliminary Study of Insect Succession in Al-Ahsaa Oasis, in the Eastern Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
abstract: Rabbit carcass decomposition was examined in four seasons in Al-Ahsaa Oasis. Decomposition rate was significantly faster in summer compared with other seasons. Fourteen insect species from four orders and seven families were recorded: Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Sarcophagidae, Formicidae, Histeridae, Dermestidae, and Tenebrionidae. Most of the fly maggots collected were Calliphoridae with only one species from both Muscidae and Sarcophagidae. Maggots of Calliphora vicina (R.-D.) and Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann) colonized the carcasses in all seasons while both Ch. bezziana (Villeneuve) and Lucilia sericata (Meigen) were found in all seasons except for winter. Maggots of Chrysomya megacephala (F.) and Phormia regina (Meigen) were only collected in the summer and autumn, respectively. Four coleopteran species were collected: Hymenorus sp., Saprinus chacites (Illiger), Dermestes maculatus DeGeer and Blaps sp. One formicidian species, Pheidole megacephala (F.), was observed in all seasons. Insect richness was greater, and decomposition rate was faster in summer compared with other seasons.
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsaa, 31982, Saudi Arabia.|Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Aswan University, Aswan, 81528, Egypt.
authors.forename: Essam A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Shaalan
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsaa, 31982, Saudi Arabia.|Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, 21511 Moharam Bey, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
authors.forename: Zeinab A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: El-Moaty
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsaa, 31982, Saudi Arabia.|Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, 71516 Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Salaheldin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abdelsalam
authors.affiliation: School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
authors.forename: Gail S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004772:Entomology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D007313:Insecta; D007814:Larva; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D011817:Rabbits; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012621:Seasons
keywords: Coleoptera; Diptera; decomposition; eastern region KSA; forensic entomology; forensic science; insect succession; season