Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Associated with Pig Carcasses in an Urban Area

The study of cadaver fauna is the most important aspect of forensic entomology, and it is based on successional patterns of insects that feed on decaying carcasses. Many ant species have scavenger lifestyles, and thus have the potential for use in forensic entomology studies. There are no previous studies of ant fauna as forensic entomology tools in state of Maranhão. Here we characterize ants found on domestic swine carcasses at different stages of decomposition, with the goal of initiating a forensic entomology database in the state. We collected ants between November and December 2012 on two pig carcasses. A third carcass with no ant collection was used as a control to assess the influence of ant removal on decomposition rate. We captured 1,692 Formicidae in total, distributed among 10 genera and including 17 species. The most abundant species was Solenopsis saevissima, with 55.6% of relative abundance. Solenopsis was present at various stages of decomposition either feeding on carcass tissues or exudates, or preying on larval, pupal and newly emerged adult flies. Ants associated with this environment had high species richness and abundance in all stages of decomposition. We suggest that these insects influence the decomposition process either as facilitators (i.e., by laceration and fragmentation of tissue) or as hindering agents (i.e., due to predation upon other scavenging organisms)

Flavonoid-Rich Extract of Dissotis rotundifolia Whole Plant Protects against Ethanol-Induced Gastric Mucosal Damage

Dissotis rotundifolia is a plant in the family Melastomataceae. The methanolic extract of the whole plant is reported to be rich in C-glycosylflavones such as vitexin and orientin. Though there are several reports on the ethnomedicinal use of this plant extract in stomach ulcers, experimental-based data is unavailable. The drive for carrying out this research was to obtain data on the possible ameliorative effect of the whole plant extract of Dissotis rotundifolia (DRE) in gastric ulcerations induced by ethanol in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. SD rats were pretreated with 100, 300, and 500 mg/kg of DRE for 14 days after which an ulcerogen-ethanol was administered. Gross examinations of the stomach lining and histological analysis of gastric lesions were carried out coupled with an assessment of the antioxidant activity of gastric mucosa using MDA, GSH, CAT, and SOD as indicators. The data suggested a significant attenuation in gastric mucosal damage in DRE-pretreated ethanol-induced gastric ulcer reflected in the antioxidant status. There was also a reduction or absence of hemorrhage, edema, and leucocytes infiltration in DRE-treated groups compared to the negative control group. DRE conserved glutathione (GSH) levels, reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and enhanced catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme levels. The present study shows that DRE possess protective effects against ethanol-induced ulcer damage in the stomach of rats, which could be attributed to its antioxidant activity

Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Associated with Pig Carcasses in an Urban Area

The study of cadaver fauna is the most important aspect of forensic entomology, and it is based on successional patterns of insects that feed on decaying carcasses. Many ant species have scavenger lifestyles, and thus have the potential for use in forensic entomology studies. There are no previous studies of ant fauna as forensic entomology tools in state of Maranhão. Here we characterize ants found on domestic swine carcasses at different stages of decomposition, with the goal of initiating a forensic entomology database in the state. We collected ants between November and December 2012 on two pig carcasses. A third carcass with no ant collection was used as a control to assess the influence of ant removal on decomposition rate. We captured 1,692 Formicidae in total, distributed among 10 genera and including 17 species. The most abundant species was Solenopsis saevissima, with 55.6% of relative abundance. Solenopsis was present at various stages of decomposition either feeding on carcass tissues or exudates, or preying on larval, pupal and newly emerged adult flies. Ants associated with this environment had high species richness and abundance in all stages of decomposition. We suggest that these insects influence the decomposition process either as facilitators (i.e., by laceration and fragmentation of tissue) or as hindering agents (i.e., due to predation upon other scavenging organisms)

Insect enemies of Southern pines /

no.16