Entomology

Question 1

What is Entomology?

Answer 1

The scientific study of the insects

Question 2

What are the four categories of entomology?

Answer 2

1. Urban entomology: involves insects that affect houses, buildings and other human environments
2. Stored products entomology: insects infesting stored goods itch as food or clothing
3. Medico-legal: insects are their utility in solving criminals - hello determine PMI
4. Veterinary: usually considered the same as medico-legal

Question 3

What are necrophageous insects?

Answer 3

Dead fleshing eating insects -> very sensitive to chemical changes in a dead body

Question 4

What is taphonomy?

Answer 4

The study of an organism from the time it does until the time it reaches the laboratory

Question 5

What is an insect?

Answer 5

• The largest group of arthropods and defined as having 6 legs and a 3 segment body (head, thorax and abdomen)
• Have an external skeleton composed of chitin
• The head contains the sensory organs

Question 6

What is metamorphis and the three stages?

Answer 6

• The biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching
  1. Ametabolous metamorphis: eggs yield immature forms that look like smaller forms of the adults
  2. Paurometabolous metamorphis: resemble a wingless version of the adult species
  3. Holometabolous metamorphis: yield young that do not look like the adult

Question 7

What is taxonomy?

Answer 7

The science of identifying and classifying organisms

Question 8

What are successional waves?

Answer 8

• Predictable insect species groups that are interested in subsequent phases of the decomposition process
• The identification of successional waves may help to estimate the time since death

Question 9

What is putrefaction?

Answer 9

The process of decay or rotting in a body due to the activity of microbes (bacterium) from the body’s own intestinal flora

Question 10

What is the mass maggot effect?

Answer 10

When a group of maggots living, feeding and moving into the same area cause an increase in temperature

Question 11

What are some other uses of insects for forensics?

Answer 11

• DNA from the victim may be obtained from the gut of insects that feed on the body as well as drugs, toxins to other substances that are in the body at the time of death
• The identity of an insect species can be confirmed by testing the insect mitochondrial DNA
• Can give indication of location