Pigs vs people: the use of pigs as analogues for humans in forensic entomology and taphonomy research
- Matuszewski, Szymon, Hall, Martin J R, Moreau, Gaétan, Schoenly, Kenneth G, Tarone, Aaron M, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Matuszewski, Szymon , Hall, Martin J R , Moreau, Gaétan , Schoenly, Kenneth G , Tarone, Aaron M , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140557 , vital:37898 , DOI: 10.1007/s00414-019-02074-5
- Description: Most studies of decomposition in forensic entomology and taphonomy have used non-human cadavers. Following the recommendation of using domestic pig cadavers as analogues for humans in forensic entomology in the 1980s, pigs became the most frequently used model cadavers in forensic sciences. They have shaped our understanding of how large vertebrate cadavers decompose in, for example, various environments, seasons and after various ante- or postmortem cadaver modifications. They have also been used to demonstrate the feasibility of several new or well-established forensic techniques. The advent of outdoor human taphonomy facilities enabled experimental comparisons of decomposition between pig and human cadavers. Recent comparisons challenged the pig-as-analogue claim in entomology and taphonomy research. In this review, we discuss in a broad methodological context the advantages and disadvantages of pig and human cadavers for forensic research and rebut the critique of pigs as analogues for humans. We conclude that experiments using human cadaver analogues (i.e. pig carcasses) are easier to replicate and more practical for controlling confounding factors than studies based solely on humans and, therefore, are likely to remain our primary epistemic source of forensic knowledge for the immediate future. We supplement these considerations with new guidelines for model cadaver choice in forensic science research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Matuszewski, Szymon , Hall, Martin J R , Moreau, Gaétan , Schoenly, Kenneth G , Tarone, Aaron M , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140557 , vital:37898 , DOI: 10.1007/s00414-019-02074-5
- Description: Most studies of decomposition in forensic entomology and taphonomy have used non-human cadavers. Following the recommendation of using domestic pig cadavers as analogues for humans in forensic entomology in the 1980s, pigs became the most frequently used model cadavers in forensic sciences. They have shaped our understanding of how large vertebrate cadavers decompose in, for example, various environments, seasons and after various ante- or postmortem cadaver modifications. They have also been used to demonstrate the feasibility of several new or well-established forensic techniques. The advent of outdoor human taphonomy facilities enabled experimental comparisons of decomposition between pig and human cadavers. Recent comparisons challenged the pig-as-analogue claim in entomology and taphonomy research. In this review, we discuss in a broad methodological context the advantages and disadvantages of pig and human cadavers for forensic research and rebut the critique of pigs as analogues for humans. We conclude that experiments using human cadaver analogues (i.e. pig carcasses) are easier to replicate and more practical for controlling confounding factors than studies based solely on humans and, therefore, are likely to remain our primary epistemic source of forensic knowledge for the immediate future. We supplement these considerations with new guidelines for model cadaver choice in forensic science research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Decoupled reciprocal subsidies of biomass and fatty acids in fluxes of invertebrates between a temperate river and the adjacent land:
- Moyo, Sydney, Chari, Lenin D, Villet, Martin H, Richoux, Nicole B
- Authors: Moyo, Sydney , Chari, Lenin D , Villet, Martin H , Richoux, Nicole B
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140843 , vital:37923 , DOI: 10.1007/s00027-017-0529-0
- Description: Streams and riparian areas are tightly coupled through reciprocal trophic subsidies, and there is evidence that these subsidies affect consumers in connected ecosystems. Most studies of subsidies consider only their quantity and not their quality. We determined the bidirectional exchange of organisms between the Kowie River and its riparian zone in South Africa using floating pyramidal traps (to measure insect emergence) and pan traps (to capture infalling invertebrates).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Moyo, Sydney , Chari, Lenin D , Villet, Martin H , Richoux, Nicole B
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140843 , vital:37923 , DOI: 10.1007/s00027-017-0529-0
- Description: Streams and riparian areas are tightly coupled through reciprocal trophic subsidies, and there is evidence that these subsidies affect consumers in connected ecosystems. Most studies of subsidies consider only their quantity and not their quality. We determined the bidirectional exchange of organisms between the Kowie River and its riparian zone in South Africa using floating pyramidal traps (to measure insect emergence) and pan traps (to capture infalling invertebrates).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Baited traps may be an alternative to conventional pesticides in the integrated crop management of chicory (Compositae) in South Africa
- Midgley, John M, Hill, Martin P, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Midgley, John M , Hill, Martin P , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6858 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011141 , http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/0022-0493(2008)101[99:BTMBAA]2.0.CO;2 , https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0579-5298
- Description: Chicory, Chicorium intybus L. (Compositae), is a major field crop in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Several pests feed on the leaves of the plant, resulting in reduced yield. The most important of these are the noctuid moths Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), Chrysodeixis acuta (Walker), and Trichoplusia orichalcea (F.). The use of attract-and-kill traps offers an alternative to broad-based insecticides in the control of these species. Three fields were treated with normal insecticides and three fields with yellow-baited traps. Eight additional traps were placed in each field, with half of the traps containing the insecticide 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate (dichlorvos) and half without dichlorvos; and half yellow and half green. Total moth numbers and nonphytophage diversity were measured from these eight traps. Although no differences in H. armigera or T. orichalcea catches were observed between insecticide- and trap-treated fields, numbers of C. acuta and the total number of moths were significantly higher in insecticide-treated fields. Yellow traps containing dichlorvos contained more moths than yellow traps without dichlorvos, or green traps with dichlorvos, or green traps without dichlorvos; but they also contained more nonphytophagous insects. Yellow traps also enhanced the catches of thrips on card traps associated with them. These results offer an opportunity for the South African chicory industry to reduce pesticide applications and thus mitigate environmental impacts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Midgley, John M , Hill, Martin P , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6858 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011141 , http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/0022-0493(2008)101[99:BTMBAA]2.0.CO;2 , https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0579-5298
- Description: Chicory, Chicorium intybus L. (Compositae), is a major field crop in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Several pests feed on the leaves of the plant, resulting in reduced yield. The most important of these are the noctuid moths Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), Chrysodeixis acuta (Walker), and Trichoplusia orichalcea (F.). The use of attract-and-kill traps offers an alternative to broad-based insecticides in the control of these species. Three fields were treated with normal insecticides and three fields with yellow-baited traps. Eight additional traps were placed in each field, with half of the traps containing the insecticide 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate (dichlorvos) and half without dichlorvos; and half yellow and half green. Total moth numbers and nonphytophage diversity were measured from these eight traps. Although no differences in H. armigera or T. orichalcea catches were observed between insecticide- and trap-treated fields, numbers of C. acuta and the total number of moths were significantly higher in insecticide-treated fields. Yellow traps containing dichlorvos contained more moths than yellow traps without dichlorvos, or green traps with dichlorvos, or green traps without dichlorvos; but they also contained more nonphytophagous insects. Yellow traps also enhanced the catches of thrips on card traps associated with them. These results offer an opportunity for the South African chicory industry to reduce pesticide applications and thus mitigate environmental impacts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Of ants and cicadas: thinking and doing
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:588 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018948
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:588 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018948
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Editorial: authorship and responsibility [African Entomology]
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6851 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011132
- Description: Editorial service is a privilege in many senses: editors have a much broader view of disciplinary practices than most of their colleagues; they see work from more institutions; and are privy to manuscripts in all states of fitness for publication. The spectrum of practice is eye-opening, and editors are placed in a position of stewardship, and often mentorship, that inevitably focuses attention on quality assurance and ethics (Lawrence 2003; Bulger 2004; Grieger 2005; Graf et al. 2007). Recently, the Committee on Scholarly Publishing in South Africa, a body within the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), has drafted Guidelines for best practice in editorial discretion and peer review for South African scholarly journals to assist editors.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6851 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011132
- Description: Editorial service is a privilege in many senses: editors have a much broader view of disciplinary practices than most of their colleagues; they see work from more institutions; and are privy to manuscripts in all states of fitness for publication. The spectrum of practice is eye-opening, and editors are placed in a position of stewardship, and often mentorship, that inevitably focuses attention on quality assurance and ethics (Lawrence 2003; Bulger 2004; Grieger 2005; Graf et al. 2007). Recently, the Committee on Scholarly Publishing in South Africa, a body within the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), has drafted Guidelines for best practice in editorial discretion and peer review for South African scholarly journals to assist editors.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Effect of the killing method on post-mortem change in length of larvae of Thanatophilus micans (Fabricius, 1794) (Coleoptera: Silphidae) stored in 70% ethanol
- Midgley, John M, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Midgley, John M , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6857 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011140
- Description: It is recommended that insect larvae collected for forensic purposes should be killed using the same method as was used to create existing models for rate of development. Certain killing methods have been shown to be preferable because they cause less distortion of the specimens, but these are not always practicable in a particular case, and so a method of correcting for effect of killing method is required. Larvae of all instars of Thanatophilus micans (Fabricius 1794) (Coleoptera: Silphidae) were measured and then killed by immersion in ethanol, immersion in hot water or freezing. Samples were re-measured immediately after death, then stored in excess 70% ethanol and re-measured after 1 week and again after 4 weeks. The change in length was significantly different from zero in all samples (t = -9.07022, p < 0.001). An analysis of covariance showed that instar, killing method and storage time all had a significant effect on the change in length. The results showed that T. micans larvae have a great potential for change in length during storage but that the change is not predictable, as the magnitude and sign of the change are variable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Midgley, John M , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6857 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011140
- Description: It is recommended that insect larvae collected for forensic purposes should be killed using the same method as was used to create existing models for rate of development. Certain killing methods have been shown to be preferable because they cause less distortion of the specimens, but these are not always practicable in a particular case, and so a method of correcting for effect of killing method is required. Larvae of all instars of Thanatophilus micans (Fabricius 1794) (Coleoptera: Silphidae) were measured and then killed by immersion in ethanol, immersion in hot water or freezing. Samples were re-measured immediately after death, then stored in excess 70% ethanol and re-measured after 1 week and again after 4 weeks. The change in length was significantly different from zero in all samples (t = -9.07022, p < 0.001). An analysis of covariance showed that instar, killing method and storage time all had a significant effect on the change in length. The results showed that T. micans larvae have a great potential for change in length during storage but that the change is not predictable, as the magnitude and sign of the change are variable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Optimising design and effort for environmental surveys using dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae):
- Tocco, Claudia, Quinn, Danielle, Midgley, John M, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Tocco, Claudia , Quinn, Danielle , Midgley, John M , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140670 , vital:37908 , DOI: 10.4039/tce.2016.48
- Description: In biological monitoring, deploying an effective standardised quantitative sampling method, optimised by trap design and sampling effort, is an essential consideration. To exemplify this using dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae) communities, three pitfall trap designs (un-baited (TN), baited at ground level (flat trap, TF), and baited above the trap (hanging trap, TH)), employed with varying levels of sampling effort (number of traps = 1, 2, 3… 10; number of days = 1, 2, 3), were evaluated for sampling completeness and efficiency in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Modelling and resampling simulation approaches were used to suggest optimal sampling protocols across environmentally diverse sites. Overall, TF recovered the greatest abundance and species richness of dung beetles, but behavioural guilds showed conflicting trends: endocoprids preferred TH while paracoprids and telocoprids preferred TF. Resampling simulation of trap type and the two components of sampling effort suggested that six TF traps left for three days was most efficient in obtaining a representative sample and allowed differentiation between trap types, allowing the improved efficiency to be recognised. The effect of trap type on non-target specimens, particularly ants, was also investigated. TF and TH caught almost no by-catch, which is ethically desirable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Tocco, Claudia , Quinn, Danielle , Midgley, John M , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140670 , vital:37908 , DOI: 10.4039/tce.2016.48
- Description: In biological monitoring, deploying an effective standardised quantitative sampling method, optimised by trap design and sampling effort, is an essential consideration. To exemplify this using dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae) communities, three pitfall trap designs (un-baited (TN), baited at ground level (flat trap, TF), and baited above the trap (hanging trap, TH)), employed with varying levels of sampling effort (number of traps = 1, 2, 3… 10; number of days = 1, 2, 3), were evaluated for sampling completeness and efficiency in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Modelling and resampling simulation approaches were used to suggest optimal sampling protocols across environmentally diverse sites. Overall, TF recovered the greatest abundance and species richness of dung beetles, but behavioural guilds showed conflicting trends: endocoprids preferred TH while paracoprids and telocoprids preferred TF. Resampling simulation of trap type and the two components of sampling effort suggested that six TF traps left for three days was most efficient in obtaining a representative sample and allowed differentiation between trap types, allowing the improved efficiency to be recognised. The effect of trap type on non-target specimens, particularly ants, was also investigated. TF and TH caught almost no by-catch, which is ethically desirable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
A global study of forensically significant calliphorids: implications for identification
- Harvey, M L, Gaudieri, S, Villet, Martin H, Dadour, I R
- Authors: Harvey, M L , Gaudieri, S , Villet, Martin H , Dadour, I R
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6863 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011156
- Description: A proliferation of molecular studies of the forensically significant Calliphoridae in the last decade has seen molecule-based identification of immature and damaged specimens become a routine complement to traditional morphological identification as a preliminary to the accurate estimation of post-mortem intervals (PMI), which depends on the use of species-specific developmental data. Published molecular studies have tended to focus on generating data for geographically localised communities of species of importance, which has limited the consideration of intraspecific variation in species of global distribution. This study used phylogenetic analysis to assess the species status of 27 forensically important calliphorid species based on 1167 base pairs of the COI gene of 119 specimens from 22 countries, and confirmed the utility of the COI gene in identifying most species. The species Lucilia cuprina, Chrysomya megacephala, Ch. saffranea, Ch. albifrontalis and Calliphora stygia were unable to be monophyletically resolved based on these data. Identification of phylogenetically young species will require a faster-evolving molecular marker, but most species could be unambiguously characterised by sampling relatively few conspecific individuals if they were from distant localities. Intraspecific geographical variation was observed within Ch. rufifacies and L. cuprina, and is discussed with reference to unrecognised species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Harvey, M L , Gaudieri, S , Villet, Martin H , Dadour, I R
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6863 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011156
- Description: A proliferation of molecular studies of the forensically significant Calliphoridae in the last decade has seen molecule-based identification of immature and damaged specimens become a routine complement to traditional morphological identification as a preliminary to the accurate estimation of post-mortem intervals (PMI), which depends on the use of species-specific developmental data. Published molecular studies have tended to focus on generating data for geographically localised communities of species of importance, which has limited the consideration of intraspecific variation in species of global distribution. This study used phylogenetic analysis to assess the species status of 27 forensically important calliphorid species based on 1167 base pairs of the COI gene of 119 specimens from 22 countries, and confirmed the utility of the COI gene in identifying most species. The species Lucilia cuprina, Chrysomya megacephala, Ch. saffranea, Ch. albifrontalis and Calliphora stygia were unable to be monophyletically resolved based on these data. Identification of phylogenetically young species will require a faster-evolving molecular marker, but most species could be unambiguously characterised by sampling relatively few conspecific individuals if they were from distant localities. Intraspecific geographical variation was observed within Ch. rufifacies and L. cuprina, and is discussed with reference to unrecognised species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Molecular systematics of the African snake family Lamprophiidae Fitzinger, 1843 (Serpentes: Elapoidea), with particular focus on the genera Lamprophis Fitzinger 1843 and Mehelya Csiki 1903
- Kelly, Christopher M R, Branch, William R, Broadley, Donald G, Barker, Nigel P, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Kelly, Christopher M R , Branch, William R , Broadley, Donald G , Barker, Nigel P , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6861 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011151
- Description: The snake family Lamprophiidae Fitzinger (Serpentes: Elapoidea) is a putatively Late Eocene radiation of nocturnal snakes endemic to the African continent. It incorporates many of the most characteristic and prolific of Africa's non-venomous snake species, including the widespread type genus Lamprophis Fitzinger, 1843 (house snakes). We used approximately 2500 bases of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data from 28 (41%) of the approximately 68 recognised lamprophiid species in nine of the eleven genera to investigate phylogenetic structure in the family and to inform taxonomy at the generic level. Cytochrome b, ND4 and tRNA gene sequences (mitochondrial) and c-mos sequences (nuclear) were analysed using Maximum Likelihood, Bayesian Inference and Maximum Parsimony methods. The genus Mehelya Csiki, 1903 was paraphyletic with respect to Gonionotophis Boulenger, 1893. To address this, the concept of Gonionotophis is expanded to include all current Mehelya species. The genus Lamprophis emerged polyphyletic: the enigmatic Lamprophis swazicus was sister to Hormonotus modestus from West Africa, and not closely related to its nominal congeners. It is moved to a new monotypic genus (Inyoka gen. nov.). The remaining Lamprophis species occur in three early-diverging lineages. (1) Lamprophis virgatus and the widely distributed Lamprophis fuliginosus species complex (which also includes Lamprophis lineatus and Lamprophis olivaceus) formed a clade for which the generic name Boaedon Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 is resurrected. (2) The water snakes (Lycodonomorphus) were nested within Lamprophis (sensu lato), sister to Lamprophis inornatus. We transfer this species to the genus Lycodonomorphus Fitzinger, 1843. (3) We restrict Lamprophis (sensu strictissimo) to a small clade of four species endemic to southern Africa: the type species of Lamprophis Fitzinger, 1843 (Lamprophis aurora) plus Lamprophis fiskii, Lamprophis fuscus and Lamprophis guttatus.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Kelly, Christopher M R , Branch, William R , Broadley, Donald G , Barker, Nigel P , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6861 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011151
- Description: The snake family Lamprophiidae Fitzinger (Serpentes: Elapoidea) is a putatively Late Eocene radiation of nocturnal snakes endemic to the African continent. It incorporates many of the most characteristic and prolific of Africa's non-venomous snake species, including the widespread type genus Lamprophis Fitzinger, 1843 (house snakes). We used approximately 2500 bases of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data from 28 (41%) of the approximately 68 recognised lamprophiid species in nine of the eleven genera to investigate phylogenetic structure in the family and to inform taxonomy at the generic level. Cytochrome b, ND4 and tRNA gene sequences (mitochondrial) and c-mos sequences (nuclear) were analysed using Maximum Likelihood, Bayesian Inference and Maximum Parsimony methods. The genus Mehelya Csiki, 1903 was paraphyletic with respect to Gonionotophis Boulenger, 1893. To address this, the concept of Gonionotophis is expanded to include all current Mehelya species. The genus Lamprophis emerged polyphyletic: the enigmatic Lamprophis swazicus was sister to Hormonotus modestus from West Africa, and not closely related to its nominal congeners. It is moved to a new monotypic genus (Inyoka gen. nov.). The remaining Lamprophis species occur in three early-diverging lineages. (1) Lamprophis virgatus and the widely distributed Lamprophis fuliginosus species complex (which also includes Lamprophis lineatus and Lamprophis olivaceus) formed a clade for which the generic name Boaedon Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 is resurrected. (2) The water snakes (Lycodonomorphus) were nested within Lamprophis (sensu lato), sister to Lamprophis inornatus. We transfer this species to the genus Lycodonomorphus Fitzinger, 1843. (3) We restrict Lamprophis (sensu strictissimo) to a small clade of four species endemic to southern Africa: the type species of Lamprophis Fitzinger, 1843 (Lamprophis aurora) plus Lamprophis fiskii, Lamprophis fuscus and Lamprophis guttatus.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
“The Two Cultures reunited: entomology for everyone”
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: Audio , text
- Identifier: vital:587 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018947
- Description: Fifty years ago C.P. Snow delivered his essay, "The Two Cultures", sparking the schism between the Humanities and the Sciences. This lecture explores cultural entomology as a means of reconciling two other cultures: academia and society, and suggests one way of addressing this alienating dilemma.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: Audio , text
- Identifier: vital:587 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018947
- Description: Fifty years ago C.P. Snow delivered his essay, "The Two Cultures", sparking the schism between the Humanities and the Sciences. This lecture explores cultural entomology as a means of reconciling two other cultures: academia and society, and suggests one way of addressing this alienating dilemma.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
The temporal occurrence of flesh flies (Diptera, Sarcophagidae) at carrion-baited traps in Grahamstown, South Africa
- Villet, Martin H, Clitheroe, Crystal-Leigh, Williams, Kirstin A
- Authors: Villet, Martin H , Clitheroe, Crystal-Leigh , Williams, Kirstin A
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: article , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59692 , vital:27639 , https://doi.org/10.3897/AfrInvertebr.58.9537
- Description: Eleven species of flesh fly were identified in a sample of 737 specimens captured during fortnightly trapping at three sites in Grahamstown, South Africa, over a year. Sarcophaga africa Wiedemann, 1824, S. inaequalis Austen, 1909, S. exuberans Pandelle, 1896 and S. tibialis Macquart, 1851 showed well-defined peaks between early October 2001 and late April 2002, and only S. africa was trapped at other times of year. These peaks occurred when average minimum and maximum ambient air temperatures were above 12°C and 22°C, respectively, and showed no obvious relationship to rainfall. There were indications of population cycles in all of these species. Sarcophaga hera Zumpt, 1972, S. arno Curran, 1934, S. inzi Curran, 1934, S. langi Curran, 1934, S. freyi Zumpt, 1953, S. nodosa Engel, 1925 and S. samia Curran, 1934 were too scarce to assess their patterns of occurrence rigorously. Insects attending a corpse are reputed to assist forensic entomologists in estimating the time of year when the body died. Some flesh flies provide more precise estimates than others, so several species should be used for cross-validation. Insect activity at a corpse depends on the weather, so that presence of a species indicates particular environmental conditions and not simply calendar dates (particularly if climate changes). Absence of a species is not necessarily evidence of specific conditions because species may not be present at all sites simultaneously, populations cycle even when their members are active, and low population densities may hamper detection of a species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Villet, Martin H , Clitheroe, Crystal-Leigh , Williams, Kirstin A
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: article , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59692 , vital:27639 , https://doi.org/10.3897/AfrInvertebr.58.9537
- Description: Eleven species of flesh fly were identified in a sample of 737 specimens captured during fortnightly trapping at three sites in Grahamstown, South Africa, over a year. Sarcophaga africa Wiedemann, 1824, S. inaequalis Austen, 1909, S. exuberans Pandelle, 1896 and S. tibialis Macquart, 1851 showed well-defined peaks between early October 2001 and late April 2002, and only S. africa was trapped at other times of year. These peaks occurred when average minimum and maximum ambient air temperatures were above 12°C and 22°C, respectively, and showed no obvious relationship to rainfall. There were indications of population cycles in all of these species. Sarcophaga hera Zumpt, 1972, S. arno Curran, 1934, S. inzi Curran, 1934, S. langi Curran, 1934, S. freyi Zumpt, 1953, S. nodosa Engel, 1925 and S. samia Curran, 1934 were too scarce to assess their patterns of occurrence rigorously. Insects attending a corpse are reputed to assist forensic entomologists in estimating the time of year when the body died. Some flesh flies provide more precise estimates than others, so several species should be used for cross-validation. Insect activity at a corpse depends on the weather, so that presence of a species indicates particular environmental conditions and not simply calendar dates (particularly if climate changes). Absence of a species is not necessarily evidence of specific conditions because species may not be present at all sites simultaneously, populations cycle even when their members are active, and low population densities may hamper detection of a species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
3000 miles from home: a new Gastrosericus baobabicus Pulawski, 1995 (Hymenoptera, Larridae) distribution record highlights that the Sahel has a distinct entomofaunal signature
- Clitheroe, Crystal-Leigh, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Clitheroe, Crystal-Leigh , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6846 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011099
- Description: [from introduction] On October 30, 1953, an unidentified female wasp (Fig. 1) was collected from ‘Belet Uen, Somaliland’ (= Beledweyne, 4°44’N 45°12’E), situated in the valley of the Shebelle River, HiraanProvince,Somalia. It was deposited in the aculeate Hymenoptera collection of the Albany Museum, Grahamstown by D. Greathead prior to 1968. Apart from the words ‘Somaliland’ and ‘Desert Locust Survey’ the label is handwritten and the collector’snameis not recorded. Greathead’s sister, S. Gess (Albany Museum), deciphered the label and stated that he had worked for the Desert Locust Survey, investigating the natural enemies of locusts and had been in Somalia (then Somaliland) at that time (Murphy & Cock 2007). The specimen was sent in 2004 by F. Gess to W. Pulawski, who determined it as Gastrosericus baobabicus Pulawski, 1995. Gastrosericus species prey on spiders and a variety of small insects (Pulawski 1995), including Orthoptera (Krombein & Pulawski 1986), so it is likely that Greathead collected the specimen in connection with his interest in the insect enemies of Acridoidea (Orthoptera) (Greathead 1962).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Clitheroe, Crystal-Leigh , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6846 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011099
- Description: [from introduction] On October 30, 1953, an unidentified female wasp (Fig. 1) was collected from ‘Belet Uen, Somaliland’ (= Beledweyne, 4°44’N 45°12’E), situated in the valley of the Shebelle River, HiraanProvince,Somalia. It was deposited in the aculeate Hymenoptera collection of the Albany Museum, Grahamstown by D. Greathead prior to 1968. Apart from the words ‘Somaliland’ and ‘Desert Locust Survey’ the label is handwritten and the collector’snameis not recorded. Greathead’s sister, S. Gess (Albany Museum), deciphered the label and stated that he had worked for the Desert Locust Survey, investigating the natural enemies of locusts and had been in Somalia (then Somaliland) at that time (Murphy & Cock 2007). The specimen was sent in 2004 by F. Gess to W. Pulawski, who determined it as Gastrosericus baobabicus Pulawski, 1995. Gastrosericus species prey on spiders and a variety of small insects (Pulawski 1995), including Orthoptera (Krombein & Pulawski 1986), so it is likely that Greathead collected the specimen in connection with his interest in the insect enemies of Acridoidea (Orthoptera) (Greathead 1962).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, Vol. 2, A. van Harten (Ed.): book review
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451625 , vital:75065 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32810
- Description: This volume extends the UAE's catalogue of arthropods from 1400 species to 1790 species, and describes 83 new species, four new genera and even a new tribe. The chapters include about two arachnid taxa (pseudoscorpions and cunaxid mites), and cover a total of 63 families, 26 of them previously not recorded from the country. Three chapters deal with entomobryomorph springtails, earwigs and barklice, respectively, and the rest are focused on families in the 'megadiverse' orders Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451625 , vital:75065 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32810
- Description: This volume extends the UAE's catalogue of arthropods from 1400 species to 1790 species, and describes 83 new species, four new genera and even a new tribe. The chapters include about two arachnid taxa (pseudoscorpions and cunaxid mites), and cover a total of 63 families, 26 of them previously not recorded from the country. Three chapters deal with entomobryomorph springtails, earwigs and barklice, respectively, and the rest are focused on families in the 'megadiverse' orders Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Arthropod Fauna of the UAE, Vol. 1, A. van Harten (Ed.): book review
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451612 , vital:75064 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32768
- Description: This book is a richly illustrated synthesis and development of knowledge on the wide range of plant-insect associations that has been observed in several collections of Cretaceous megafloras from the Negev of Israel.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451612 , vital:75064 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32768
- Description: This book is a richly illustrated synthesis and development of knowledge on the wide range of plant-insect associations that has been observed in several collections of Cretaceous megafloras from the Negev of Israel.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Forensic Entomology: An introduction, D.E. Gennard: book review
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451721 , vital:75072 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC141290
- Description: Dorothy Gennard's role in the fourth-year course in Forensic Science at the University of Lincoln has placed her in an excellent position to design a text that caters for this level. It was generally agreed (e.g. Villet and Richards 2008; Higley and Huntington 2009) that the first edition of her book, published in 2007, was a useful text for teaching introductory courses in forensics, and this substantially revised edition is even better suited to that niche. Other recently revised texts are either difficult to acquire (Haskell and Williams, 2008) or more expensive reference works (Amendt et al. 2010; Byrd and Castner 2010).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451721 , vital:75072 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC141290
- Description: Dorothy Gennard's role in the fourth-year course in Forensic Science at the University of Lincoln has placed her in an excellent position to design a text that caters for this level. It was generally agreed (e.g. Villet and Richards 2008; Higley and Huntington 2009) that the first edition of her book, published in 2007, was a useful text for teaching introductory courses in forensics, and this substantially revised edition is even better suited to that niche. Other recently revised texts are either difficult to acquire (Haskell and Williams, 2008) or more expensive reference works (Amendt et al. 2010; Byrd and Castner 2010).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
My First Book of Southern African Insects, C. Uys: book review
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451749 , vital:75074 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32855
- Description: I concur with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943): we are born with a strong appreciation of the world around us that most of us lose as we grow up. While few adults have much empathy with insects, they are a source of fascination for most children, at least until they start school. The problem facing professional entomology is how to sustain and encourage that early attitude so that we recruit passionate and well-prepared people into the profession, and sensitise the remainder of the population to the value of insects.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451749 , vital:75074 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32855
- Description: I concur with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943): we are born with a strong appreciation of the world around us that most of us lose as we grow up. While few adults have much empathy with insects, they are a source of fascination for most children, at least until they start school. The problem facing professional entomology is how to sustain and encourage that early attitude so that we recruit passionate and well-prepared people into the profession, and sensitise the remainder of the population to the value of insects.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
Cicadas (Homoptera: Cicadidae) as indicators of habitat and veld condition in valley bushveld in the Great Fish River Valley, South Africa
- Villet, Martin H, Capitao, I R
- Authors: Villet, Martin H , Capitao, I R
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451670 , vital:75068 , https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA10213589_213
- Description: Rural land-use in the Eastern Cape Province ranges from subsistence to commercial farming, with a few game reserves forming areas of active conservation. A large part of the Eastern Cape is covered by Valley Bushveld, a productive veld type dominating the Great Fish River Valley at elevations of 100-450 m (Dyer 1937; Acocks 1988). It is used for game, goat and cattle farming (Stuart-Hill 1991), but large areas have become degraded by overgrazing and invasion by alien or undesirable plants (La Cocket ai. 1990), often with an associated reduction in community richness (Dyer 1937; Acocks 1988). These effects are particularly persistent in this veld type because of the slow regeneration associated with severe climatic conditions (Dyer 1937; Lubke et ai. 1986; La Cock et al. 1990; Stuart-Hill 1991): a mean annual rainfall of only 350-500 mm, mainly between November and March, and temperatures peaking at 46 C in December and January (Acocks 1988). As a result, the more palatable plant species are becoming increasingly rare.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
- Authors: Villet, Martin H , Capitao, I R
- Date: 1996
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451670 , vital:75068 , https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA10213589_213
- Description: Rural land-use in the Eastern Cape Province ranges from subsistence to commercial farming, with a few game reserves forming areas of active conservation. A large part of the Eastern Cape is covered by Valley Bushveld, a productive veld type dominating the Great Fish River Valley at elevations of 100-450 m (Dyer 1937; Acocks 1988). It is used for game, goat and cattle farming (Stuart-Hill 1991), but large areas have become degraded by overgrazing and invasion by alien or undesirable plants (La Cocket ai. 1990), often with an associated reduction in community richness (Dyer 1937; Acocks 1988). These effects are particularly persistent in this veld type because of the slow regeneration associated with severe climatic conditions (Dyer 1937; Lubke et ai. 1986; La Cock et al. 1990; Stuart-Hill 1991): a mean annual rainfall of only 350-500 mm, mainly between November and March, and temperatures peaking at 46 C in December and January (Acocks 1988). As a result, the more palatable plant species are becoming increasingly rare.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1996
Insect Pest Management and Ecological Research, G.H. Walter: book review
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451735 , vital:75073 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32546
- Description: This book is a 275-page argument for the place of theoretical biology in pest management research. Its general message is that contemporary pest management research emphasizes application of technology or strategic research at the expense of application of knowledge or tactical research, and that even the application of knowledge should actually be subservient to the development and extension of knowledge, theoretical research. Whenever we study a pest, we are presented with an opportunity to enhance, rather than merely apply, knowledge. It is argued that pest management research is currently failing itself because it is not doing this, and several areas of theoretical biology are identified as offering ways out of this situation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451735 , vital:75073 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32546
- Description: This book is a 275-page argument for the place of theoretical biology in pest management research. Its general message is that contemporary pest management research emphasizes application of technology or strategic research at the expense of application of knowledge or tactical research, and that even the application of knowledge should actually be subservient to the development and extension of knowledge, theoretical research. Whenever we study a pest, we are presented with an opportunity to enhance, rather than merely apply, knowledge. It is argued that pest management research is currently failing itself because it is not doing this, and several areas of theoretical biology are identified as offering ways out of this situation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
Forensic Entomology: An Introduction, D.E. Gennard book: review
- Villet, Martin H, Richards, Cameron S
- Authors: Villet, Martin H , Richards, Cameron S
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451690 , vital:75070 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32766
- Description: Since the publication of Smith's (1986) "A manual of forensic entomology", there have been a series of useful texts in forensic entomology, some written as authoritative resources (Byrd and Castner 2001; Greenberg and Kunish 2002; Wyss and Cherix 2006) and others as training manuals (Catts and Haskell 1990). Dorothy Gennard's contribution is a bit of both, being the first text written primarily as a broad introduction to medico-criminal forensic entomology for specialised undergraduate classes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Villet, Martin H , Richards, Cameron S
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451690 , vital:75070 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32766
- Description: Since the publication of Smith's (1986) "A manual of forensic entomology", there have been a series of useful texts in forensic entomology, some written as authoritative resources (Byrd and Castner 2001; Greenberg and Kunish 2002; Wyss and Cherix 2006) and others as training manuals (Catts and Haskell 1990). Dorothy Gennard's contribution is a bit of both, being the first text written primarily as a broad introduction to medico-criminal forensic entomology for specialised undergraduate classes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Authorship and responsibility
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451640 , vital:75066 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32765
- Description: Editorial service is a privilege in many senses: editors have a much broader view of disciplinary practices than most of their colleagues; they see work from more institutions; and are privy to manuscripts in all states of fitness for publication.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451640 , vital:75066 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC32765
- Description: Editorial service is a privilege in many senses: editors have a much broader view of disciplinary practices than most of their colleagues; they see work from more institutions; and are privy to manuscripts in all states of fitness for publication.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008