Table Of ContentVol. 107, No.4,September&October, 1996 233
THE OCCURRENCE OF NITIDULA FLAVOMACULATA
(COLEOPTERA: NITIDULIDAE)
ON A HUMAN CORPSE1
ThomasW.Adair2 Boris C. Kondratieff3
,
ABSTRACT:WereporttheinfestationofahumancorpsebythePalearcticnitidulidbeetleNitidula
flavomaculata inAdams County, Colorado. The human corpse was discovered in early January.
Thisintroducedbeetlemayhavebecomeamemberofthecold-seasoncarrioncommunity, previ-
ouslydominatedbyafly,thecheeseskipper,Piophilacasei, alongtheFrontRangeofColorado.
Under various environmental conditions, a human corpse is colonized by
an array of necrophagous and saprophagous arthropods, particularly insects.
This succession of species has been described or reviewed by many authors,
including Leclercq (1969), Nuorteva (1977), Rodriguez and Bass (1983),
Simpson (1985), Smith (1986), Catts and Haskell (1990), and Goffand Flynn
(1991).Duringthewarmmonthsoftheyear, flies(Diptera)arethemajorinitial
decomposers. Species ofCalliphoridae (blow flies) and Sarcophagidae (flesh
flies) are known as important forensic indicators (Greenberg 1991). A wide
variety ofinsects besides these flies colonize acorpse, including beetles. Spe-
cific beetles (e.g. species of Cleridae, Dermestidae, Histeridae, Nitidulidae,
Scarabaeidae,SilphidaeandStaphylinidae)thatfeedoncarrionhavebeendocu-
mentedbyMorley(1907),PayneandKing(1970),Crowson(1981),andShubeck
etal. (1981).
Aclothed,partiallydecayedhuman femalecorpsewasdiscoveredonJanu-
ary 11, 1996 in afield inThornton,Adams County, Colorado. An examination
ofthe body revealed numerous puparia containing pharate adults ofthe black
blowfly,Phormiaregina(Meigen)andthelarvaeofthecheese-skipper,Piophila
casei (L.) (Diptera: Piophilidae). The piophilid larvae were found in the head
and shoulderareaofthe corpse.Also found were large numbers ofNitidulidae
larvaeinthegenitalareaofthevictim.Anadultbeetlewasrecoveredduringthe
autopsy. Larvae were collected and reared on chicken livers, and the subse-
quentadultbeetleswereidentifiedasthePalearcticNitidulaflavomaculataRossi.
The presenceofpre-emergentP. regina adults in pupariaatthe crime scene
indicated the victim was left in the field sometimeduring the lasttwoweeks of
1 ReceivedApril8, 1996.AcceptedApril28, 1996.
2WestminsterPolice Department, Crime Laboratory, 8800 N. Sheridan Blvd., Westminster, CO
80030.
3 DepartmentofEntomology,ColoradoStateUniversity,FortCollins,CO80523.
ENT.NEWS 107(4)233-236,September&October, 1996
234 ENTOMOLOGICALNEWS
September or early October. The average minimum developmental time ofP.
regina under ideal temperature conditions is about 14-16 days along the Front
RangeofColorado.AirtemperaturerecordsprovidedbytheCityof Northglenn
WaterTreatment Plant, 5.6 km from the crime scene indicated that afterOcto-
ber21, 1995,adultblowflyegglayingactivityoremergencewouldhaveceased
for the remainder ofthe season. Based on the temperature data, a three week
window where temperatures averaged 13C occurred in the last two weeks of
September or early October. Subsequent air temperatures probably precluded
any blowfly activity. Following the identification of the victim, it was deter-
mined that she was reported missing on September20, 1995.
Our collection is the first report ofN.flavomaculata on a human corpse.
This species is a native of Europe and has also been reported from North
Africa, the NearEast and the U.S. (Parsons 1943). The seniorauthor also col-
lected N. flavomaculata from exposed pig carcasses at the Highlands Ranch
LawEnforcementTrainingFacilityP.I.G. site.Individualbeetleswerecollected
inJuly,August, andJanuary 1996(5, 6,and 11 monthsaftercarcassdeposition,
respectively).
This record of N. flavomaculata adds an additional species to the cold-
season carrion community along the Front Range ofColorado. Generally dur-
ing the winter (November throughApril), exposed corpses are colonized only
by P. casei and occasionally by several species ofDermestes.
Nitidulids or "sap-beetles" are well-known as important members of the
carrionfeedingcommunity(Payne 1965andShubecke/a/. 1981).InShubeck's
et al. study, nitidulids comprised over 35% of all beetles collected from the
carrion.Themostcommon species was Omositacolon(L.),anintroducedEur-
asian or Holarctic species. Both Nitidula and Omosita are associated usually
with the decay and dry stages ofcarcasses (Edwards 1949, Reed 1958, Payne
and King 1970). Bothgenerafeedonfluidsexudingfromdecomposingcarrion
(Shubeck etal. 1981).Additionally, adults ofcarrion feeding Nitidulidae have
been reported to become more abundant laterin the season (Reed 1958, Payne
1965).Nitidulidshavebeenpreviouslyrecordedfromhumancorpses(Rodriquez
and Bass 1983). Nitidula bipunctata (L.) has been found associated in Europe
with carrion, including human corpses (Zacker 1927, Kemper 1939).
We presentan illustration (Fig. 1) ofthe habitus ofN.flavomaculata toaid
otherworkersintheidentificationofthisspecies. Illustrationsofothernitidulid
species mentioned are available in Hinton (1945) and USDA (1991). Speci-
mens ofN. flavomaculata are deposited in the C. P. Collection ofArthropod
Diversity, Colorado State University.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are grateful to Dr. Stephen W. Bullington, Falls Creek, PA and Dr. Richard E.
Johnsen, Colorado State University forreading adraft ofthis paper. Lynn C. Bjork, Larval Fish
Laboratory,ColoradoStateUniversityprovidedtheillustration.
Vol. 107,No.4,September&October, 1996 235
Figure 1.NitidulaflavomaculataRossi,habitus,length4.5mm.
236 ENTOMOLOGICALNEWS
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