Dermestes (s.str.) haemorrhoidalis (Coleoptera: Dermestidae)-The Most Frequent Species on Mummified Human Corpses in Indoor Conditions? Three Cases from Southwestern Poland

Simple Summary Dermestidae are beetles of economic importance but also of significance for forensic entomology. In the latter case, Dermestidae are classified as colonisers of cadavers in late stages of decomposition when the remains are in a dry phase (mummified human corpses) or are partially skeletonised. Therefore, they are classified as secondary necrophages. This article describes three cases of mummified human corpses in indoor conditions that were colonised by representatives of the Dermestidae. All three cases are linked by the presence of Dermestes (s.str.) haemorrhoidalis-a species considered relatively rare in Poland, whose presence on human corpses was first observed in 2020 in Wroclaw. Beetles of the family Dermestidae, especially of the genus Dermestes Linnaeus, 1758, are often identified on corpses in late stages of decomposition. They usually feed on remains devoid of organs and soft tissues or when the corpses undergo mummification. In Europe, eight species from two subgenera Dermestes and Dermestinus Zhantiev, 1967, have so far been identified on human corpses. Despite the relatively frequent presence of Dermestes sp. in experimental studies conducted in Poland, no reports concerning Dermestes directly collected from human corpses have been published to date. This article again describes observations of Dermestidae collected from human corpses found in indoor conditions in Wroclaw, the capital of the Dolnoslaskie Voivodeship. For the second time, there is evidence of the presence of Dermestes (s.str.) haemorrhoidalis on human corpses-a species considered to be relatively rare, as evidenced by faunistic data published from Poland, as well as the results of ongoing experiments of forensic interest.

Automated summary

This article describes three cases of mummified human corpses in indoor conditions that were colonised by members of the Dermestidae. The main species found was Dermestes haemorrhoidalis, which is considered relatively rare in Poland and was first observed on human corpses in Wroclaw in 2020. Although members of the Dermestidae are relatively common in experimental studies in Poland, there have been no previous reports of these beetles directly colonising human corpses.