Journal of Forensic Research

Insect Faunal Succession on Buried Piece of Pork in the State of Punjab (India): A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Madhu Bala and Pawandeep Kaur

Forensic entomology is the application and study of insects and other arthropod biology to criminal matters. It involves the interaction of arthropods (mainly insects) with legal activity. Successional studies were carried out on 5kg of pork piece used as research model which was clothed with the cotton cloth and buried at a depth of 30cm in the forest area of Ghawaddi village of Ludhiana (Punjab) (India). The pork was exhumed two times, in morning and evening. Whole process of decomposition took sixteen days and divided into four decompositional stages- fresh, bloated, active decay and decay stage. Total 10 beetle species belonging to 6 families i.e. Euspilotus assimilis, Saprinus pensylvanicus, Saprinus sp. (Histeridae), Gonocephalum patruele, Typhaea stercorea, Tenebrio molitor (Tenebrionidae), Dermestes maculatus (Dermestidae), Hybosorus sp. (Scarabidae), Pterostichus melanarius (Carabidae) and Necrobia sp. (Cleridae) were observed. From order Hymenoptera 2 species i.e
Camponotus compressus and Pheidole indica belonging to family Formicidae were observed during different stages of decomposition.