Forensic Entomology and Funerary Archaeoentomology

Forensic entomology can be divided into three main fields: urban entomology, stored product entomology and forensic entomology sensu stricto, also called medico-legal entomology or medico-criminal entomology. The latter deals with the reconstruction of peri- and post-mortem events and with funerary archaeoentomology. The main question in which forensic entomology can make a contribution, concerns the estimation of time since death, the so-called post-mortem interval (PMI). The analysis of insects from the body or crime scene can also provide useful information regarding body transfer or previous concealment. Furthermore, insects collected at the crime scene can be used to confirm ‘cadaver presence’ in cases where the body has been removed before the arrival of the investigators, or for the detection of drugs or poisons, also called entomotoxicology. Estimation of the mPMI is based on the two points: the development duration, and the waves of colonisation related to the food/water content preference.