O parasitismo em espécies de Dípteros da entomofauna cadavérica e suas implicações na Entomologia Forense

Abstract

Forensic entomology, a field of study that uses ecological, taxonomic, and biological knowledge of insects related to the decomposition of corpses to help in criminal investigations, has been consolidating itself as a very efficient technique, being used both in the calculation of the Postmortem Interval (PMI), as well as contributing to the estimate of geographic location in which the fact investigated took place. Due to the great abundance and diversity of insects and their wide geographic distribution, studies about the life cycle, taxonomy, ecological aspects, and interactions become indispensable for the forensic entomology area, associated with the judicial parts, to be used as a tool each time, most useful in solving crimes and investigations. In this work, we studied the interaction among parasitoid microhymenoptera: Nasonia vitripennis, Pachycrepoideus vindemiae, Spalangia endius, and species of the Diapriidae family and four species of host dipterans belonging to cadaveric entomofauna: Chrysomya albiceps, Chrysomya megacephala, Chrysomya putoria, Cochliomyia macellaria, and Lucilia sericata, in order to contribute to the knowledge of the relationships established between parasitoid insects and dipterans of forensic importance, which are commonly used in forensic investigations, as well as to evaluate the potential of the studied parasitoid species use as forensic indicators.