Forensic-entomology
Guides
Histeridae
clown beetles, hister beetles
Histeridae is a cosmopolitan family of predatory beetles containing more than 410 genera and 4,800 described species worldwide. Members are commonly known as clown beetles or hister beetles. They are immediately recognizable by their shortened elytra that leave two abdominal tergites exposed, and their elbowed antennae with clubbed, lamellate ends. The family exhibits remarkable ecological diversity, with species occupying niches ranging from carrion and dung to ant and termite colonies, forest litter, and tree bark. Their predatory habits on fly larvae and other arthropods have made them valuable for biological control and forensic entomology.
Hypocaccus propensus group
The Hypocaccus propensus group comprises a cluster of closely related species within the clown beetle family Histeridae. These small beetles are associated with decaying organic matter and are primarily distinguished by subtle differences in male genitalia and punctation patterns on the elytra. The group is taxonomically significant as it represents a challenging complex for identification, requiring dissection for definitive species determination.
Lucilia
greenbottle flies, green bottle flies
Lucilia is a genus of blow flies in the family Calliphoridae, commonly known as greenbottle flies for their metallic green coloration. Species in this genus are among the most frequently encountered carrion-associated flies worldwide and hold significant importance in forensic entomology, medical maggot therapy, and veterinary contexts. The genus includes species with cosmopolitan distributions due to human commerce, notably Lucilia sericata and Lucilia cuprina. Larvae are obligate scavengers of decomposing organic matter, with some species capable of causing myiasis in living hosts.
Lucilia coeruleiviridis
Blue-green Bottle Fly, Green Bottle Fly
Lucilia coeruleiviridis is one of the most common and ubiquitous blow fly species in the southeastern United States, with a range extending throughout the eastern US. This species is forensically important, frequently used for minimum postmortem interval (mPMI) estimation in death investigations. Larval development is strongly temperature-dependent, with optimal growth occurring at warm temperatures. The species was first described by French entomologist Justin Pierre Marie Macquart in 1855 and was formerly placed in the genus Phaenecia.
Lucilia cuprina
Australian sheep blowfly, bronze bottle fly
Lucilia cuprina, commonly known as the Australian sheep blowfly, is a member of the blow fly family Calliphoridae. It is a significant agricultural pest in sheep-rearing regions, causing the condition known as fly strike or myiasis. The species has been introduced to multiple continents through human commerce and is also utilized in forensic entomology for estimating postmortem intervals. Adults are characterized by their metallic green or greenish-blue abdomen with bronze or coppery reflections.
Lucilia eximia
green bottle fly
Lucilia eximia is a green bottle fly in the family Calliphoridae, distributed throughout the Neotropics from northern Mexico to southern South America. The species is a significant forensic indicator used to estimate minimum postmortem intervals, with well-documented intra-puparial development stages and thermal accumulation requirements. Laboratory studies indicate adults require both sugar and protein sources for optimal longevity, with water deprivation severely reducing survival. The species colonizes animal remains in urban environments exposed to sunlight.
Lucilia illustris
Illustrious Greenbottle Fly, green bottle fly
Lucilia illustris is a blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, commonly known as the Illustrious Greenbottle Fly. Adults are 6–9 mm in length with a metallic blue-green thorax that reflects bronze and purple. The species develops through three larval instars with distinct morphological characteristics at each stage. It is frequently used in forensic entomology due to its predictable development rate and preference for carrion in sunlit environments.
Lucilia mexicana
green bottle fly
Lucilia mexicana is a green bottle blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, first described by Pierre-Justin-Marie Macquart in 1843 or 1844. Adults measure 6–9 mm and exhibit metallic blue-green thoraxes with purple tints. The species is distributed from the southwestern United States through Mexico and Central America to Brazil, inhabiting wooded and urban environments. It holds potential forensic significance for determining postmortem intervals and stored-product contamination cases, though more research is needed for reliable application in criminal investigations.
Lucilia sericata
common green bottle fly, green bottle fly, blow fly
Lucilia sericata is a blow fly in family Calliphoridae, widely distributed across most temperate regions worldwide. Adults display brilliant metallic blue-green or golden coloration and are frequently among the first insects to arrive at carrion. The species has significant forensic importance due to predictable developmental rates used to estimate postmortem intervals. Larvae are also employed in maggot debridement therapy for cleaning necrotic wounds. The species exhibits temperature-driven seasonal activity, preferring warmer summer months.
Lucilia silvarum
common toad fly, Marsh Greenbottle Fly
Lucilia silvarum is a blow fly in the family Calliphoridae, first described by Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1826. Adults are 4.5–10 mm with metallic green coloration and plumose aristae, making them difficult to distinguish from related green bottle flies. The species has a Holarctic distribution across North America and Europe. Recent research has clarified its ecological role: it is primarily saprophagous on carrion and was identified as a primary colonizer of domestic cats in experimental studies, contradicting earlier assumptions that it was strictly associated with amphibian myiasis.
Mecoptera
Scorpionflies, Hangingflies, Snow scorpionflies
Mecoptera is a small order of holometabolous insects comprising approximately 600 extant species in nine families worldwide. The group includes scorpionflies (Panorpidae), hangingflies (Bittacidae), and snow scorpionflies (Boreidae). Males of the largest family, Panorpidae, possess enlarged genital structures that resemble scorpion stingers, giving the group its common name. The order exhibits close phylogenetic relationships with Siphonaptera (fleas) and Diptera (true flies), with some studies suggesting fleas may be derived from within Mecoptera, rendering the order potentially paraphyletic. Modern mecopterans are primarily found in moist environments, though the Boreidae are adapted to cold montane regions where adults walk on snowfields.
Megaselia scalaris
Scaled Hump-backed Fly, scuttle fly, coffin fly, humpbacked fly, laboratory fly
Megaselia scalaris is a small phorid fly, approximately 2–3 mm in length, widely distributed in warm regions globally. It is one of the most commonly encountered species in the family Phoridae, particularly in urban environments. The species exhibits remarkable ecological flexibility, functioning as a decomposer, facultative parasitoid, and forensic indicator. Adults display characteristic jerky running behavior, earning the common name "scuttle fly." The species has been documented in diverse contexts including coffins, decomposing carrion, termite mounds, social wasp nests, and deteriorating museum specimens.
Milichiidae
freeloader flies, jackal flies, filth flies
Milichiidae is a family of minute acalyptrate flies comprising approximately 250 species in 19 genera across three subfamilies (Madizinae, Milichiinae, Phyllomyzinae). Adults are best known for kleptoparasitic behavior, feeding on bodily fluids of prey captured by predatory invertebrates such as spiders, assassin bugs, and mantids. They are attracted to olfactory cues released by killed prey, particularly Heteroptera and Hymenoptera. Larvae develop in decaying organic matter including rotting vegetation, wood, bark, manure, and carrion. Some species have forensic importance due to association with corpses, while others exhibit myrmecophilous associations or phoretic behaviors.
Muscidae
House Flies and Allies, House Flies, Stable Flies
Muscidae is a family of flies in the superfamily Muscoidea containing nearly 4,000 described species across over 100 genera. The family exhibits diverse feeding strategies: adults may be predatory, hematophagous, saprophagous, or feed on plant and animal exudates including sugar, sweat, tears, and blood. Larvae develop in varied habitats including decaying vegetation, soil, carrion, and freshwater. While some species are synanthropic and of medical importance, most species are not associated with human habitation.
Muscina
false stable flies
Muscina is a genus of muscid flies comprising approximately 27 species with worldwide distribution. The genus includes several synanthropic species frequently associated with livestock facilities, manure, and human structures. M. stabulans (false stable fly) is the most extensively studied species, serving as a model for flight biomechanics research and forensic entomology. Members of this genus are notable for their epidemiological significance as mechanical vectors of pathogens, forensic utility in post-mortem interval estimation, and facultative predatory behavior by third-instar larvae.
Muscina stabulans
False Stable Fly
Muscina stabulans, commonly known as the false stable fly, is a cosmopolitan synanthropic muscid fly distributed worldwide. Adults are medium-sized flies averaging 8 mm in length, distinguished by four dark thoracic stripes, partially reddish-brown legs, and a pale spot above the thorax. The species exhibits strong synanthropic tendencies, with higher abundance in urban-suburban environments compared to rural areas. It has significant economic and public health importance as a mechanical vector of pathogens, a facultative predator of house fly larvae in poultry facilities, and a forensic indicator species for post-mortem interval estimation. Rare cases of intestinal myiasis in humans have been documented.
Muscinae
Muscinae is a subfamily of muscid flies (Diptera: Muscidae) comprising approximately 10 genera and numerous species worldwide. The group includes well-known species such as the house fly (Musca domestica) and related genera including Pyrellia, Ophyra, and Orthellia. Members are characterized by specific morphological features of the adult and immature stages that distinguish them from the sister subfamily Stomoxyinae. The subfamily has significant sanitary and forensic importance due to the synanthropic habits of several species.
Necrobia
Ham Beetles
Necrobia is a genus of checkered beetles in the family Cleridae, commonly known as ham beetles. Unlike most clerids, which are predatory, Necrobia species are carrion-feeders and significant pests of stored animal products. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution and includes species frequently encountered on dried meat, fish, and museum specimens.
Necrobia ruficollis
ham beetle, red-shouldered ham beetle, red-necked bacon beetle
Necrobia ruficollis is a small, metallic beetle in the family Cleridae with cosmopolitan distribution. It is primarily associated with decomposing animal matter, including dried and smoked meats, animal skins, and cheese. The species is forensically significant, appearing on cadavers during advanced decay and skeletonization stages, and serves as an important indicator for postmortem interval estimation in cases involving longer time frames.
Necrobia violacea
blacklegged ham beetle, blue ham beetle, cosmopolitan blue bone beetle, Violet Checkered Beetle
Necrobia violacea is a small clerid beetle, 4–5 mm in length, with uniformly metallic blue-green to green coloration including its legs. The species occurs in the Palearctic region and has been introduced to North America. Adults are long-lived and associated with dried animal products, including cured meats, dried fish, aged cheeses, oilseeds, and desiccated carcasses. Larvae are predatory, feeding on other insect larvae found on carrion rather than consuming the carrion directly. The species has limited forensic relevance due to its preference for corpses in advanced decomposition stages.
Necrodes
Necrodes is a genus of carrion beetles in the family Silphidae (or Staphylinidae in some classifications), with at least four described species. These beetles are dominant decomposers of large vertebrate carrion in terrestrial habitats, where they compete with blow flies through mixed competition involving both exploitative and interference effects. They exhibit high dispersal ability, with individuals documented traveling over 30 km, and form massive larval aggregations that generate heat through thermogenesis. The genus has significant forensic importance, particularly N. littoralis, which is used as a bio-indicator for estimating post-mortem intervals.
Necrophila
carrion beetles
Necrophila is a genus of carrion beetles in the family Silphidae, comprising approximately 20 species distributed primarily across Asia and India, with a single North American species, N. americana. The genus name derives from Greek roots meaning 'attracted to corpses,' reflecting their ecological association with decomposing animal matter. These beetles are significant forensic indicators and play important roles in carrion decomposition and nutrient cycling.
Necrophila americana
American Carrion Beetle
Necrophila americana is a North American carrion beetle in the family Silphidae. Adults and larvae feed on decomposing animal flesh and also prey on fly larvae that compete for the same resources. Unlike burying beetles in the genus Nicrophorus, this species does not bury carcasses. Adults have been observed at sap flows on oak trees and in fermenting bait traps. The species has been documented in forensic entomology contexts due to its predictable association with decomposing remains.
Nicrophorus
burying beetles, sexton beetles
Nicrophorus is a genus of carrion beetles commonly known as burying beetles or sexton beetles. These beetles are notable for their distinctive behavior of burying small vertebrate carcasses to serve as food for their developing larvae. Both male and female parents provide care for the brood, an unusual trait among insects. The genus contains approximately 70 species distributed across the Americas, northern Africa, Europe, and Asia. Several species are subject to conservation concern, including Nicrophorus americanus, which is listed under the Endangered Species Act.
Nitidula
Nitidula is a genus of sap-feeding beetles in the family Nitidulidae, first described by Fabricius in 1775. The genus contains approximately 20-23 described species, though estimates vary among sources. Several species are associated with carrion and decaying organic matter, with some species such as N. carnaria and N. flavomaculata being utilized in forensic investigations due to their predictable colonization of mammalian corpses during later stages of decay. Other species breed in carrion or are found in association with fermenting plant materials.
Nitidula flavomaculata
Yellow-spotted Nitidula, Yellow-spotted Sap Beetle
Nitidula flavomaculata is a sap-feeding beetle in the family Nitidulidae. Native to the Mediterranean Region, it has become naturalized in North America. The species is strongly associated with later stages of decay in mammalian corpses, making it valuable for forensic investigations. Its presence on carrion distinguishes it from many other sap beetles that feed primarily on plant exudates, pollen, or fungi.
Nitidulidae
sap beetles, sap-feeding beetles, picnic beetles
Nitidulidae is a family of small beetles commonly known as sap beetles or picnic beetles, with approximately 4,500 described species worldwide and 173 species in North America. Members exhibit highly variable feeding habits, ranging from sap-feeding to scavenging on carrion, fermenting fruits, fungi, and stored products. Several species are economically significant as agricultural pests, particularly in tree nut crops and honey bee colonies. The family has gained recent attention as vectors of the oak wilt pathogen (Bretziella fagacearum), with beetles transmitting fungal spores from infected to healthy oak trees. Some species have been successfully deployed in bioconversion systems to recycle agricultural waste.
Oestroidea
Bot Flies, Blow Flies, and Allies
Oestroidea is a superfamily of Calyptratae comprising approximately 15,000 described species worldwide. It includes blow flies (Calliphoridae), bot flies (Oestridae), flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), tachinid flies (Tachinidae), and related families. The group exhibits diverse ecological strategies including saprophagy, parasitism, and parasitoidism. Molecular analyses confirm Oestroidea as monophyletic, though relationships among constituent families remain partially unresolved.
Oiceoptoma
Oiceoptoma is a genus of carrion beetles in the family Silphidae, comprising approximately ten described species distributed across the Holarctic region. These beetles are necrophagous, specializing in the consumption of vertebrate carcasses. The genus includes species of forensic importance due to their predictable habitat associations and seasonal activity patterns. Oiceoptoma noveboracense, the margined carrion beetle, is among the most studied species and serves as a model for understanding carrion beetle ecology in North America.
Oiceoptoma inaequale
Ridged Carrion Beetle
Oiceoptoma inaequale, commonly known as the ridged carrion beetle, is a North American species of carrion beetle in the family Silphidae. It is one of several Oiceoptoma species that specialize in consuming decaying animal matter. The species has been documented breeding on snake carcasses and participates in carcass-based food webs alongside blow flies and other necrophagous insects. Like related species, it likely contributes to nutrient cycling through the decomposition of vertebrate remains.
Oiceoptoma noveboracense
Margined Carrion Beetle
A medium-sized carrion beetle in the family Silphidae, distinguished by orange-red margins on the pronotum. Adults are diurnal and active primarily from spring through fall in deciduous forest habitats. The species produces one generation per year, with larvae and adults feeding on carrion and preying on fly larvae. It has forensic importance for estimating postmortem intervals based on succession patterns.
Omorgus punctatus
Omorgus punctatus is a species of hide beetle in the family Trogidae, distributed across the southwestern and central United States and northern Mexico. The species is associated with carrion and dry animal remains, typical of the family. Adults are characterized by their punctured elytra, which contributes to the species epithet 'punctatus'.
Omosita
Omosita is a genus of sap beetles (family Nitidulidae) erected in 1843. The genus comprises five described species distributed across the Holarctic and introduced regions. Omosita species are notable for their association with stored products and carrion, with documented forensic significance due to their presence on human remains. Larvae have been recovered from decomposing human bone and successfully analyzed for human mitochondrial DNA.
Omosita nearctica
Northern Sap Beetle
Omosita nearctica is a small sap-feeding beetle in the family Nitidulidae, native to the Nearctic region. The species is a stored-product pest with documented associations to carrion, giving it potential significance as both a biosecurity risk and a forensic indicator. It has established populations in South Africa, representing the first African record for this species. The mature larva was described for the first time in 2021 based on specimens collected from this introduced population.
Operclipygus
Operclipygus is a genus of hister beetles (family Histeridae) containing approximately 177 described species. The genus name refers to the clamshell-like appearance of the pygidium (rear end). A 2013 systematic revision by Caterino and Tishechkin described 138 new species from Central and South America, increasing the genus size more than sixfold. These beetles are small, round, and predominantly black, with ecological importance as predators of insect larvae.
Oxelytrum
carrion beetles
Oxelytrum is a genus of carrion beetles in the family Silphidae, containing approximately 10 described species distributed primarily in South America. Members are characterized by three distinct ridges on each elytron, a hairless pronotal disk, and 3-segmented antennal clubs. Most species are nocturnal and associated with decomposing animal remains. The genus has forensic significance due to predictable colonization patterns on carcasses.
Oxelytrum discicolle
Oxelytrum discicolle is a carrion beetle distributed throughout the Neotropical region from Mexico to Argentina. It is one of the most commonly collected silphid beetles in forensic entomology studies in South America. The species exhibits strictly nocturnal activity patterns and shows strong preference for carcasses in advanced stages of decomposition. Adults are attracted to decomposing vertebrate remains where they feed and likely reproduce.
Panorpa
scorpionflies, common scorpionflies
Panorpa is the largest and most widespread genus of scorpionflies (family Panorpidae), comprising approximately 260 described species as of 2018. These insects are characterized by the male's enlarged, scorpion-like genital claspers that curl upward at the abdomen tip. The genus is primarily distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, with notable absence from western North America. Both larvae and adults are scavengers that feed on dead or dying arthropods, playing important roles in nutrient cycling and forensic entomology. Several species, particularly P. vulgaris and P. nuptialis, have become model organisms for studying sexual selection and nuptial gift behavior.
Panorpa flexa
common scorpionfly
Panorpa flexa is a species of scorpionfly in the family Panorpidae, described by Carpenter in 1935. It is found in North America. Scorpionflies in this genus are characterized by the male's enlarged, scorpion-like claspers formed by the external genitalia, and their elongated 'long face' with chewing mandibles at the tip. The larvae develop in soil and leaf litter, scavenging on dead or dying soft-bodied insects.
Panorpa hungerfordi
common scorpionfly
Panorpa hungerfordi is a species of scorpionfly in the family Panorpidae, described by George Byers in 1973. Like other scorpionflies, it is characterized by the male's enlarged, upward-curved genital claspers that resemble a scorpion's stinger. The species is found in North America and shares the general habits of the genus: adults frequent moist woodland habitats where they scavenge on dead or dying insects. Larvae develop in soil and leaf litter, feeding on soft-bodied invertebrates.
Panorpidae
scorpionflies, common scorpionflies
Panorpidae is the largest family of scorpionflies (order Mecoptera), comprising more than 480 species across approximately 70% of the order's diversity. Adults range 9–25 mm in length and possess four membranous wings, threadlike antennae, and elongated faces with chewing mouthparts. The family is characterized by males having enlarged genital claspers that curve upward like a scorpion's tail, giving the group its common name. The fossil record extends to the Eocene, with the extinct genus Baltipanorpa known from Baltic amber.
Paramacronychiinae
Paramacronychiinae is a subfamily of flesh flies within the family Sarcophagidae. The subfamily contains 23 genera and at least 32 species in China alone. Members include necrophagous species and some that cause myiasis in mammals. The group has been studied for forensic entomology applications due to carrion associations.
Phelister
clown beetles
A large genus of clown beetles (Histeridae) comprising over 90 described species. Members of the genus occupy diverse habitats including carrion, dung, and vertebrate nests. The P. panamensis species group is distinguished by unique hooks on the apex of the male 8th sternite.
Philonthus
Philonthus is a large genus of rove beetles (Staphylinidae) containing over 380 described species. These beetles are generally robust predators found in diverse habitats including decomposing organic matter, carrion, dung, and fungal substrates. The genus has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution with particular diversity in the Palaearctic region. Several species have been documented as rapidly colonizing new habitats and competing with native species.
Philonthus politus
Philonthus politus is a rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. It is a small, predatory beetle approximately 10 mm in length. The species has been documented in association with carrion, where it feeds on fly maggots and other small insects. It occurs in North America and has been recorded from the Azores islands (Faial, Pico, São Jorge, São Miguel, Santa Maria). The species was first described by Linnaeus in 1758.
Philonthus thoracicus
Philonthus thoracicus is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. As a member of the genus Philonthus, it is part of a large group of predatory beetles commonly associated with decomposing organic matter. The species occurs across much of North America, with documented records from Canada and numerous U.S. states. Like other Philonthus species, it likely inhabits carrion, dung, and other nutrient-rich decaying substrates where it preys on small invertebrates.
Phoridae
scuttle flies, humpbacked flies, coffin flies
Phoridae is a family of small, hump-backed flies commonly known as scuttle flies, humpbacked flies, or coffin flies. The family contains approximately 4,000 described species in 230 genera, making it one of the most diverse families of Diptera. Members are characterized by their distinctive escape behavior of running rapidly across surfaces rather than flying, and by a pronounced thoracic hump visible in lateral view. The family exhibits extraordinary biological diversity, with lifestyles ranging from scavenging and fungivory to parasitism of social insects, including highly specialized ant parasitoids in the genus Pseudacteon that are used for biological control of invasive fire ants.
Phormia
black blow fly
Phormia is a genus of blow flies in the family Calliphoridae. The genus contains a single species, Phormia regina, commonly known as the black blow fly. This species is native to North America and is among the most important insects in forensic entomology due to its predictable colonization of carrion and well-documented developmental rates. Adults are metallic blue or green in coloration and are distinguished by several morphological features including black gena, mostly white calypters, and orange-yellow anterior thoracic spiracles surrounded by bright orange setae.
Phormia regina
Black Blow Fly, Black Blowfly
Phormia regina, commonly known as the black blow fly, is a forensically important necrophagous species in the family Calliphoridae. It is widely distributed across the Holarctic region and is considered one of the most important forensic indicator species in the United States for estimating postmortem intervals. The species exhibits temperature-dependent development with a biological minimum between 10.0–12.5°C. Adults are attracted to decomposing tissue and carrion for oviposition. P. regina is primarily active during cooler seasons, earning it the designation of a "cold weather fly" that moves northward as temperatures increase.
Piesma
ash-grey leaf bugs
Piesma is a genus of small ash-grey leaf bugs in the family Piesmatidae, serving as the type genus of the family. Members are less than 4 mm in length and occur across North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The genus is distinguished from the similar genus Parapiesma by a notch in the side margins of the pronotum. Species in this genus are primarily phytophagous and include economically significant pests such as Piesma quadratum, which transmits viral and rickettsia-like pathogens to sugar beet and related crops.