Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6554882 | Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine | 2018 | 10 Pages |
Abstract
Although there are previously published accounts of dermestid beetles consuming fresh corpses, they are reputed to favour older desiccated remains. This paper confirms that D. maculatus rapidly consumes and reproduces on fresh remains. The fact that dermestid beetles are seldom found on fresh remains under field conditions is therefore probably a result of inter-specific competition among decomposing insects rather than food preference. This information could be useful when determining the forensic significance of D. maculatus recovered from dead bodies.
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Authors
Alan Gunn,