Carrion Beetles Visiting Pig Carcasses during Early Spring in Urban, Forest and Agricultural Biotopes of Western Europe

Carrion beetles are important in terrestrial ecosystems, consuming dead mammals and promoting the recycling of organic matter into ecosystems. Most forensic studies are focused on succession of Diptera while neglecting Coleoptera. So far, little information is available on carrion beetles postmortem colonization and decomposition process in temperate biogeoclimatic countries. These beetles are however part of the entomofaunal colonization of a dead body. Forensic entomologists need databases concerning the distribution, ecology and phenology of necrophagous insects, including silphids. Forensic entomology uses pig carcasses to surrogate human decomposition and to investigate entomofaunal succession. However, few studies have been conducted in Europe on large carcasses. The work reported here monitored the presence of the carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) on decaying pig carcasses in three selected biotopes (forest, crop field, urban site) at the beginning of spring. Seven species of Silphidae were recorded: Nicrophorus humator (Gleditsch), Nicrophorus vespillo (L.), Nicrophorus vespilloides (Herbst), Necrodes littoralis L., Oiceoptoma thoracica L., Thanatophilus sinuatus (Fabricius), Thanatophilus rugosus (L.). All of these species were caught in the forest biotope, and all but O. thoracica were caught in the agricultural biotope. No silphids were caught in the urban site

Forty years of carabid beetle research in Europe - from taxonomy, biology, ecology and population studies to bioindication, habitat assessment and conservation

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Une forme nouvelle de Cicindela maroccana pseudomaroccana Roeschke (Col. Cicindelidae]

du Chatenet Gaëtan. Une forme nouvelle de Cicindela maroccana pseudomaroccana Roeschke (Col. Cicindelidae]. In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 65 (9-10), Novembre-décembre 1960. pp. 301-302

Le genre Catascythropus Kolbe [Col. Curculionidae]. Description d'une espèce nouvelle

du Chatenet Gaëtan. Le genre Catascythropus Kolbe [Col. Curculionidae]. Description d'une espèce nouvelle. In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 71 (9-10), Novembre-décembre 1966. pp. 295-298

Une forme nouvelle de Cicindela maroccana pseudomaroccana Roeschke (Col. Cicindelidae]

du Chatenet Gaëtan. Une forme nouvelle de Cicindela maroccana pseudomaroccana Roeschke (Col. Cicindelidae]. In: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, volume 65 (9-10), Novembre-décembre 1960. pp. 301-302