Decomposition and dipteran succession on buried rabbits carcasses.

The rabbit carcasses used in this study were buried at depths of 20 and 40 cm, were examined to construct a fly succession database on buried carrion in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Twenty-four rabbits were buried, 12 at 20 cm and 12 at 40 cm. One carcass at each depth was exhumed at 10-day intervals up to 120 days. The degradation rate varied among the carcasses. Differences in species and their colonization were also found in the superficial and exhumed carcasses. Eleven species of flies were recorded on carcasses interred at a depth of 20 cm and seven species at 40 cm, while 13 species were recorded on the carcasses over the top of the soil. Species Rhyncomya sp (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Sarcophaga dux Thomson, and Dolichotachina marginella (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) were dominant at both depths, while Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedeman), Chrysomya rufifaces (Macquart) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Musca domestica Linnaeus, and Musca sorbens Wiedemann (Diptera: Muscidae) were dominant in surface carcasses. Megaselia scalaris (Loew) ((Diptera: Phoridae) is a common and typical forensic indicator that was found in the decay/advanced decay and dry stages at a depth of 20 cm. These findings are possibly useful in forensic investigations involving buried bodies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

A new species and a key to the genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones, Buthidae) from Saudi Arabia.

A new species, Leiurushadb Al-Qahtni, Al-Salem, Alqahtani & Badry, sp. nov., is described and illustrated from the Majami al-Hadb Protected Area in the Riyadh Province of Saudi Arabia. The new species is compared with species of Leiurus distributed in Saudi Arabia, especially L.arabicus Lowe, Yagmur & Kovarík, 2014. The integrated results indicate that the population found in Majami al-Hadb represents a distinct species, which is described herein. Moreover, the molecular analysis is conducted on the mitochondrial gene 16S rRNA to compare L.hadb sp. nov. with samples of L.arabicus and L.haenggii from Saudi Arabia. The analysis revealed a genetic divergence ranging from 6.0 to 12%. The combination of molecular evidence and morphological characteristics provides adequate support for recognizing the Majami al-Hadb population as a distinct species. Additionally, an identification key for the genus Leiurus found in Saudi Arabia is also provided.

Two human cases associated with forensic insects in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, we are reporting two cases of natural death. The two bodies showed different types of habitat, insect colonization and decomposition stage. The first case was about the body of a 65-years-old male, with mummification of the clothed body was found in an outdoor habitat. Different life stages of Dermestes maculatus DeGeer (Coleoptera: Dermestidae were gathered from the cadaver, and due to the advanced degree of decomposition, the PMImin was estimated to be 3 months. The second body belonging to a 40-years-old male, was found in a semi-closed apartment (indoor habitat), and the body was at the end of the bloated decomposition stage. In this case, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) larvae were collected, and the PMImin was estimated to be 4 days. The limited insect activity for the two bodies caused by the advanced decomposition stage in the first case and indoor environment in the second. Average temperatures of (23.3 ± 1.6) °C for the first body and (27.5 ± 1.7) °C2 for the second body. Habitat was the key factor to attract insects to the two cadavers. This study stressed that, for accurate estimates of time since death, knowledge of the impact of different variables on insects found over and around the carrion is essential.

Forensic insects attracted to human cadavers in a vehicular environment in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Insect fauna attracted to cadavers at the crime scene can be identified and used to estimate the post-mortem interval (PMI). In the current study, insects associated with two human cadavers in a vehicular environment were collected and analysed. The first cadaver was found five days' post mortem in a garage. The second cadaver was found in a car ten days after his death. The weather conditions were obtained from the nearest weather station located to the scenes of the death. During the study, six adults, 32 larvae and egg batches were collected from case 1 and identified as Chrysomya albiceps Wiedemann (Diptera: Calliphoridae). From the second case, two larvae of Megaselia scalaris Loew (Diptera: Foridae) and seven larvae of Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) were identified. mPMI ranged from five to twelve days. This information expands the knowledge on the insect fauna in the vehicular environment, which could be used to assist estimation of the PMI.