Forensic Entomology is the science and study of insects and arthropods relating to legal investigations.
This website contains images of the specimens collected by the Forensic Entomology class of Summer I 2007. The purpose of the collection project was to familiarize students with the process of decomposition along with appearance of certain species of flies and beetles after a certain time interval from death. The specimens were collected from deceased fetal pigs at time intervals of one, two and three weeks of decomposition. The fetal pigs were analogous to human remains, and students were shown how different fauna arrive at different times after death. Insect presence can be used to determine the approximate time of death of a specimen, and is often used by police forensic departments to help aid in solving murder or death cases. Three different variations of fetal pigs were used: a pig which was clothed in infant clothes, a pig which was placed underneath a plywood board, as well as a pig which was half-buried in the soil. Collections of the insects were made using nets to trap the flies, while beetles were collected by hand. At the end of the semester, students were to identify their insects, as well as prepare a power point presentation to show their findings.
*Disclaimer: This page is not to be used as a key for insect identification, however It is a detailed collaboration of the specimens collected from the Forensic Entomology Summer I 2007 class.
