Abstract
Knowledge of the biology and ecology of insect species attracted to corpses is very important in determining the method of killing and the crime scene, and in identifying the species of insects successively occurring on the corpse according to the differences in seasons and regions. This study was conducted in Al-Jamʿiyah area in Karbala Governorate for the purpose of identifying the forensically important insect species successively occurring on corpses according to the differences between the summer and winter seasons. The wild rabbit belonging to the order Lagomorpha was used as a vertebrate animal model, where the number of individuals used reached twelve (12) rabbits, with approximate weights ranging between 2–2.5 kg for each animal, with the aim of studying the insect species successively occurring on animal corpses according to the differences between the summer and winter seasons.The study recorded 11 insect species belonging to three main orders, namely Diptera with 6 species, Coleoptera with 5 species, and Hymenoptera. The results showed a clear superiority in the rates of insect attraction to the carcass during the summer season compared with winter, especially in the order Diptera, where the species recorded their highest values in summer, such as Chrysomya albiceps 61.2 and Musca domestica 70, compared with their decrease in winter, 43 and 43.2, respectively. As for the order Coleoptera, the species Dermestes maculatus recorded the highest attraction rate in both seasons, 113 in summer and 102 in winter, whereas Anotylus sp. was the lowest, 0–7.6. As for ants Formicidae, they showed high activity in both seasons, with an increase in winter, 270 compared with 202 in summer. The results showed significant differences at 0.05 for the effect of the seasonal factor, with a clear effect of temperature on flies compared with beetles. These results indicate that seasonal changes directly affect the density and succession of insects on corpses, which enhances their importance in forensic entomology applications, especially in estimating the postmortem interval.