Arthropod succession on buried carrion of the African giant

Abstract

The arthropod succession on buried carrion and decomposition rates of the African rat (Crycertomy gambianus) in both raining and dry seasons were determined.  Three sets of the experiment were conducted from December 2002 to October 2003.  For each experiment, ten African giant rats with a mean weight of 1.85kg were used. Carcass in the December/March experiment representing the dry season decayed at a faster rate than those in the August/October which, represented the raining season.  Observation further revealed four orders of arthropods ranking in a decreasing order of abundance:  Diptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Araneae occurred out of the study period.  Families of Calliphotidae and Sarcophagidae of the Dipteran order and Desmestidae and Cleridae of the Coleoptean order were consider of potential forensic importance as they were responsible for carrion degradation.