Carrion Beetles (Coleoptera, Silphidae) of Potential Forensic Importance and Their Pictorial Identification Key by User-Friendly Characters in Korea

Abstract

Medicolegal entomology is an area of forensic entomology that concerns the role of insect evidence in criminal investigations [1,2]. In routine pathological examination, it may be difficult to identify remains and accurately establish the time-since-death after more than 3 days post-mortality. In this regard, however, entomological approaches have been developed as complementary or substitute tools in forensic investigations, which are based on the observation that the insects that feed on carrion constitute a distinct faunal succession that corresponds to the progressive stages of decomposition [3]. Korean J Leg Med 2020;44:143-149 https://doi.org/10.7580/kjlm.2020.44.4.143