Abstract.
China ; Entomology ; Forensic Entomology ; Forensic Medicine ; Forensic Sciences ; Humans

Entomological evidence provides entry points and clues for cases detection, in terms of estimation of the postmortem interval （PMI）, and place and cause of death. In recent years, the feasibility of entomological evidence in practice has been proved by theories and cases. It especially plays an important role in the investigation of cases with unnatural death, no monitoring, and highly corrupt cadaver. However, there are still some key issues to be further studied and standardized before the application of entomological evidence to forensic practice, to improve the effect of entomological evidence in forensic investigation and trial. This paper retrospectively reviews key studies of the application of entomological evidence in forensic science, mainly including discussion of forensic entomology inspection standard, identification studies of sarcosaprophagous insect species, collection of sarcosaprophagous insect growth and succession data under different environments and forensic entomotoxicology. With the rapid development of information technology and biotechnology, applying artificial intelligence and whole genome sequencing technology in forensic entomology has become a new research direction, which can improve the application value and range of entomological evidence in forensic science.
Animals ; Artificial Intelligence ; Diptera ; Entomology ; Forensic Sciences ; Postmortem Changes ; Retrospective Studies

Postmortem interval （PMI） estimation is a major problem in forensic medicine and a vital indicator of crime investigations. Forensic entomology provides a new way to the PMI estimation, and its superiority has been confirmed through many cases, especially in relation to the cadaver at the stage of advanced decomposition even skeleton. The technologies of forensic entomology have become more mature. This review describes the mechanism of forensic entomology used for PMI estimation, emphasizes the standardized application of technology, and lists the data for the reference of forensic experts in China.
Animals ; China ; Diptera ; Entomology ; Forensic Sciences ; Insecta ; Postmortem Changes

The Korean Society for Legal Medicine (KSLM) was founded in 1976 and launched its official journal, the Korean Journal of Legal Medicine (KJLM), in 1977. They have played an important role in Korea's forensic medicine and science, the demand for which has increased in Korean society over the years. A historical review is important and has a significant value in the advancement of forensic medicine and science in Korea. Accordingly, this study reviews and analyzes all papers published in KJLM for 39 years, from Volume 1, Issue No. 1 in 1977 to Volume 39, Issue No. 4 in 2015. There are 891 published papers, which are categorized into 318 review articles, 339 original articles, and 234 case reports. Of the total 891 papers, 377 (42.3%) are related to forensic pathology, whereas 111 (12.5%) concern forensic genetics. The major submitting institutes are forensic medicine departments of universities and the National Forensic Service. KJLM's history can be divided into two phases. The first phase is from the 1970s to the 1990s, and the second, from the 2000s to the present. Many review articles were published in the first phase; approximately 10% of these articles concern clinical forensic medicine and law. Articles on forensic genetics, identification, and entomology also started to be published in the first phase. In the next phase, many case reports from the National Forensic Service were published, and the number of articles on forensic pathology and forensic genetics multiplied. The results of this study provide KSLM and KJLM with direction toward sustainable development. This study is part of the organization's 40th anniversary celebration, and in commemoration of its contribution to advancing human rights and social stability in Korea.
Academies and Institutes ; Anniversaries and Special Events* ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Entomology ; Forensic Genetics ; Forensic Medicine* ; Forensic Pathology ; Human Rights ; Jurisprudence ; Korea

It is a difficult problem of forensic medicine to accurately estimate the post-mortem interval. Entomological approach has been regarded as an effective way to estimate the post-mortem interval. The developmental biology of carrion-breeding flies has an important position at the post-mortem interval estimation. Phorid flies are tiny and occur as the main or even the only insect evidence in relatively enclosed environments. This paper reviews the research progress of carrion-breeding phorid flies for estimating post-mortem interval in forensic medicine which includes their roles, species identification and age determination of immatures.
Animals ; Autopsy ; Diptera ; Entomology ; Environment ; Forensic Medicine ; Humans ; Postmortem Changes

Forensic entomology investigates postmortem interval (PMI) estimation using insect evidence. We estimated the minimum PMI of a putrefied male cadaver using pupae in the soil and maggots found in the body. Most of the maggots, collected during the autopsy, were postfeeding third instar larvae with empty crop contents, which developed freezing injuries when the cadaver was placed in the freezer. Pupae in the soil were collected 45 days after the discovery of the body. DNA barcoding revealed that most pupae and maggots were Chrysomya pinguis, with a few exceptions. The minimum PMI was estimated at 10 days before the discovery time based on the scene investigation, maggot developmental stage, distribution of pupae moving away from the body toward pupariation sites, DNA barcoding results, and weather information. To reduce the gap between the minimum and maximum PMI values, complete entomological evidence collection should be conducted at the time of discovery.
Autopsy ; Cadaver ; Diptera* ; DNA ; Entomology* ; Forensic Sciences ; Freezing* ; Humans ; Insects ; Larva* ; Male ; Postmortem Changes ; Pupa* ; Soil ; Weather

Forensic entomotoxicology is a branch of forensic medicine, which applies entomology, toxicology and other related studies to solve the poisoning cases. It has an obvious advantage in the investigation on poisoning death. Based on the expounding definition and research of entomotoxicology, this paper reviews research progress and application value in some aspects of forensic medicine, such as the effects of drugs/toxins on the growth and development of sarcosaphagous insects and the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the drugs/toxins in the poisoned body tissue.
Animals ; Death ; Entomology/methods* ; Forensic Medicine/methods* ; Humans ; Insecta ; Postmortem Changes

To estimate the postmortem interval (PMI) by using entomological evidence, species identification of forensically important flies is mandatory. However, the traditional species identification method, which relies on the key morphological features of adult flies, is not always available to investigators and has limitations to the immature samples. Because of these limitations, species identification using DNA sequences has long been an issue in the field of forensic entomology. In this review, I have briefly described the basic principles of molecular species identification and phylogenetic analysis and their applications in forensic entomology. I also recommend an experimental and statistical method to identify unknown fly samples obtained from the field.
Adult ; Base Sequence ; Diptera* ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; Entomology ; Forensic Sciences ; Humans ; Korea* ; Research Personnel ; Species Specificity

OBJECTIVE: To document the arthropod succession pattern and to identify forensically important species in northeastern Egypt (32° 15' E and 30° 36' N) for the first time. METHODS: Carcasses were exposed in an open area for 60 days during summer season. Ambient daily temperature (maximum and minimum) and relative humidity (RH) were recorded and existing keys were used for identification of different species. RESULTS: During the period of study, the mean of maximum and minimum temperatures were 34.85 °C and 29.2 °C respectively, while the mean of RH was 53.5%. Four stages of decomposition were observed: fresh, bloat, decay and dry. The most abundant orders were found to be Diptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. Arthropods were collected belonging to 4 families of Diptera: Muscidae, Fanniidae, Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae. While there were 2 families of Coleoptera: Dermestidae and Histeridae. Monomorium species was the only Hymenoptera family in this study. CONCLUSION The present work provided a basis for further studies dealing with insect colonization of carcasses in different seasons and locations in Egypt.
Animals ; Arthropods ; classification ; physiology ; Coleoptera ; Diptera ; Egypt ; Entomology ; Feeding Behavior ; Forensic Medicine ; methods ; Hymenoptera ; Insecta ; classification ; Rabbits ; Rats ; Seasons ; Temperature

Estimating postmortem interval (PMI) is always the emphasis and difficulty in forensic practice. Forensic entomology plays a significant indispensable role. Recently, the theories and technologies of forensic entomology are increasingly rich. But many problems remain in the research and practice. With proposing the Daubert standard, the reliability and accuracy of estimation PMI by forensic entomology need more demands. This review summarizes the application of the Daubert standard in several aspects of ecology, quantitative genetics, population genetics, molecular biology, and microbiology in the practice of forensic entomology. It builds a bridge for basic research and forensic practice to provide higher accuracy for estimating postmortem interval by forensic entomology.
Animals ; Ecology ; Entomology/methods* ; Forensic Sciences/methods* ; Genetics, Population ; Insecta ; Molecular Biology ; Postmortem Changes ; Reproducibility of Results ; Time Factors