A freshly-euthanized 90 kg Yucatan mini pig, Sus scrofa domesticus, was
placed outdoors on 21March 2012, at the Mississippi State University South Farm and
two teams of students from the Forensic Entomology class were assigned to take daily
(weekends excluded) environmental measurements and insect collections at each stage
of decomposition until the end of the semester (42 days). Assessment of data from the
pig revealed a successional pattern similar to that previously published – fresh, bloat,
active decay, and advanced decay stages (the pig specimen never fully entered a dry
stage before the semester ended). Over 2,300 immature and adult insects were collected
from the pig or its immediate surroundings during the observation period, representing 34
distinct taxa. Their appearance at the carcass clearly varied by stage of decomposition.
Blow flies and fire ants were among the first insects to colonize the carcass, followed by
beetles. The very first responding insect group was the blow flies (Calliphoridae),
specifically Phormia regina, appearing within minutes of pig placement. A sub-sample of
756 larval specimens collected from the pig during the study revealed that over 90% of
specimens were Phormia regina. Three hundred twenty-five beetles were collected
during the active and advanced decay stages, mostly in the insect families Staphylinidae,
Histeridae, Cleridae, Nitidulidae, Dermestidae, and Trogidae. One of the most commonly
collected beetle species was the red-legged ham beetle, Necrobia rufipes. Interestingly,
burying beetles (Silphidae), which are extremely common on carrion in Mississippi, were
never seen or collected throughout this study.