Postmortem artifacts made by ants and the effect of ant activity on decompositional rates

American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology

Volumn 30, Issue 1, 2009, Pages 84-87

  Campobasso, Carlo P ^a   Marchetti, Daniela ^b   Introna, Francesco ^c   Colonna, Massimo F ^c  

^a UNIVERSITY OF MOLISE   (Italy)

^b CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY   (Italy)

^c UNIVERSITY OF BARI   (Italy)

Author keywords

Ants; Decompositional rates; Forensic entomology; Forensic taphonomy; Postmortem injuries

Indexed keywords

ABRASION; ADULT; ANT; ARTIFACT; AUTOPSY; BITE; BLEEDING; CADAVER; CASE REPORT; CHILD; COLOR; DEATH; DECOMPOSITION; EGG; EXUDATE; FEEDING; HUMAN; HUMAN TISSUE; HYMENOPTERA; INJURY; INSECT; LARVA; MAGGOT; MALE; MICROANALYSIS; NECK; NONHUMAN; PREDATOR; REVIEW; SCHOOL CHILD; SKIN DEFECT; SKIN SURFACE; ZOOLOGY; ANIMAL; FEEDING BEHAVIOR; FORENSIC PATHOLOGY; INSECT BITE; PATHOLOGY; SKIN;

ANIMALS; ANTS; FEEDING BEHAVIOR; FORENSIC PATHOLOGY; HUMANS; INSECT BITES AND STINGS; POSTMORTEM CHANGES; SKIN;

EID: 65249138868     PISSN: 01957910     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1097/PAF.0b013e318187371f     Document Type: Review

References (32)

1. Rodriguez WC, Bass WM. Insect activity and its relationship to decay rates of human cadavers in East Tennessee. J Forensic Sci. 1983; 23:423-432.
2. Smith KGV. A Manual of Forensic Entomology. British Museum of Natural History: London; 1986.
3. Bornemissza GF. An analysis of arthropod succession in carrion and the effect of its decomposition on the soil fauna. Austral J Zool. 1957; 5:1-12.
4. Payne JA. A summer carrion study of the baby pig Sus scrofa Linnaeus. Ecology. 1965; 46:592-602.
5. Chapman RF, Sankey JHP. The larger invertebrate fauna of three rabbit carcasses. J Anim Ecol. 1955; 24:395-402.
6. Reed HB. A study of dog carcass communities in Tennesse, with special reference to the insects. Am Midl Nat. 1958; 59:213-245.
7. Payne JA, King EW. Arthropod succession and decomposition of buried pigs. Nature. 1968; 219:1180-1181.
8. Payne JA, King EW. Hymenoptera associated with pig carrion. In: Proceedings of Entomological Society of Washington. 1971; 73:132-141.
9. Blackith RE, Blackith RM. Insect infestations of small corpses. J Nat Hist. 1990; 24:699-709.
10. Introna F, Campobasso CP. Forensic Dipterology. In: Papp L, Darvas B, eds. Manual of Paleartic Diptera. Budapest, Hungary: Science Herald; 2000:793-846.
11. Goff ML, Win BH. Estimation of postmortem interval based on colony development time for Anoplolepsis longipes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J Forensic Sci. 1997; 42:1176-1179.
12. Goff ML. Estimation of postmortem interval using arthropod development and successional patterns. Forensic Sci Rev. 1993; 5:81-94.
13. Anderson GS, VanLaerhoven SL. Initial studies on insect succession on carrion in Southwestern British Columbia. J Forensic Sci. 1996; 41:617-625.
14. Tantawi TI, El-Kady EM, Greenberg B, et al. Arthropod succession on exposed rabbit carrion in Alexandria, Egypt. J Med Entomol. 1996; 33:566-580.
15. Early M, Goff ML. Arthropod succession patterns in exposed carrion on the island of O'ahu, Hawaiian Islands, USA. J Med Entomol. 1986; 23:520-531.
16. Wells JD, Greenberg B. Effect of the red fire ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and carcass type on the daily occurrence of postfeeding carrion-fly larvae (Diptera: Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae). J Med Entomol. 1994; 31:171-174.
17. Rodriguez WC. Effect of ant activity on decompositional rates and estimation of postmortem interval: a case study. In: Proceedings of the 54th American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Annual Meeting. Atlanta, GA; 2002: 202-203.
18. Goddard J. Physician's Guide to Arthropods of Medical Importance. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 2003.
19. Prahlow JA, Barnard JJ. Fatal anaphylaxis due to fire ant stings. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 1998; 19:137-142.
20. Byard RW, James RA, Gilbert JD. Diagnostic problems associated with cadaveric trauma from animal activity. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2002; 23: 238-242.
21. Saukko P, Knight B. Knight's Forensic Pathology. 3rd ed. London, UK: Hodder Arnold; 2004.
22. Chao TC. Homicides and suspected homicides in Singapore. Medicine Sci Law. 1973; 13:98-102.
23. Byard RW. Autopsy problems associated with post-mortem ant activity. Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2005; 1:37-40.
24. Spitz WU, Fischer RS. Medicolegal Investigation of Death: Guidelines for the Applications of Pathology to Crime Investigation. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas; 1993.
25. Rodriguez WC. Decomposition of buried and submerged bodies. In: Haglund WD, Sorg MH, eds. Forensic Taphonomy: The Postmortem Fate of Human Remains. Boca Raton, FL: CRC press; 1997:459-467.
26. Muller B. Gerichtliche Medizin. Vol. 2. Berlin: Springer-Verlag; 1975.
27. Chan TC, Williams SR, Clark RF. Formic acid skin burns resulting in systemic toxicity. Ann Emerg Med. 1995; 26:383-386.
28. Campobasso CP, Marchetti D, Introna F Jr. Post-mortem artifacts made by ants and the effect of ant activity on decompositional rates. In: Proceedings of the II Meeting of the European Association for Forensic Entomology (EAFE). London (England); 2004:07.
29. Hernandez-Cueto C, Girela E, Sweet D. Advances in the diagnosis of wound vitality. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2000; 21:21-31.
30. Oemichen M. Vitality and time course of wounds. Forensic Sci Int. 2004; 144:221-231.
31. Mant AK. Postmortem injuries. In: Tedeschi CG, Eckert WG, Tedeschi LG, eds. Forensic Medicine: A Study of Trauma and Environmental Hazards. Vol. II. Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 1977:1061-1071.
32. Haskell NH, Hall RD, Cervenka VJ On the body: insects' life stage presence and their postmortem artefacts. In: Haglund WD, Sorg MH, eds. Forensic Taphonomy: The Postmortem Fate of Human Remains. Boca Raton, FL: CRC press; 1997:415-448.