Bonacci Teresa, Mendicino Federica, Bonelli Domenico, Carlomagno Francesco, Curia Giuseppe, Scapoli Chiara, Pezzi Marco
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza, Italy.
Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale di Cosenza, Servizio Veterinario, Via J. F. Kennedy, Traversa II, 87036 Roges di Rende, Cosenza, Italy.
Insects. 2021 Apr 1;12(4):311. doi: 10.3390/insects12040311.
Burial could be used by criminals to conceal the bodies of victims, interfering with the succession of sarcosaprophagous fauna and with the evaluation of post-mortem interval. In Italy, no experimental investigation on arthropods associated with buried remains has been conducted to date. A first experimental study on arthropods associated with buried carcasses was carried out in a rural area of Arcavacata di Rende (Cosenza), Southern Italy, from November 2017 to May 2018. Six pig carcasses ( Linnaeus) were used, five of which were buried in 60-cm deep pits, leaving about 25-cm of soil above each carcass, and one was left above ground. One of the buried carcasses was periodically exhumed to evaluate the effects of disturbance on decay processes and on arthropod fauna. The other four carcasses were exhumed only once, respectively after 43, 82, 133, and 171 days. As expected, the decay rate was different among carcasses. Differences in taxa and colonization of arthropod fauna were also detected in the above ground and periodically exhumed carcasses. In carcasses exhumed only once, no arthropod colonization was detected. The results showed that a burial at about 25 cm depth could be sufficient to prevent colonization by sarcosaprophagous taxa and these data could be relevant in forensic cases involving buried corpses.
犯罪分子可能会利用掩埋的方式来隐藏受害者尸体，这会干扰食腐性动物的演替以及死后间隔时间的评估。在意大利，迄今为止尚未对与掩埋尸体相关的节肢动物进行过实验研究。2017年11月至2018年5月，在意大利南部科森扎省伦德市的阿尔卡瓦卡塔的一个农村地区，开展了一项关于与掩埋尸体相关节肢动物的首次实验研究。使用了六头猪的尸体（野猪种），其中五头被埋在60厘米深的坑中，每具尸体上方留有约25厘米厚的土壤，一头留在地面上。对其中一具掩埋的尸体进行定期挖掘，以评估干扰对腐烂过程和节肢动物群落的影响。另外四具尸体分别在43天、82天、133天和171天后只挖掘一次。正如预期的那样，各尸体的腐烂速度不同。在地面上的尸体以及定期挖掘的尸体中，还检测到节肢动物群落的分类和定殖存在差异。在只挖掘一次的尸体中，未检测到节肢动物定殖。结果表明，约25厘米深的掩埋足以防止食腐性类群的定殖，这些数据可能与涉及掩埋尸体的法医案件相关。
