Proceeding2562

1068 การประชุมวิชาการระดับชาติมหาวิทยาลัยทักษิณ ครั้งที่ 29 ประจ�ำปี 2562 วิจัยและนวัตกรรมเพื่อการพัฒนาที่ยั่งยืน I nsects associated with the late stage decomposition of pig carcasses in exposed and shaded areas in Hat Yai district, Songkhla Province Marttrakarn Jitpalo 1 and Sopark Jantarit 2* Abstract Introduction : Forensic entomology is the application of insects and other arthropods in criminal investigation. The decomposition stage is divided into five stages and the late stage is the longest one. This period attracts specific insect colonization and can be used as forensically significant insects. Objective : To investigate the composition and abundance of insects in the late stage of pig carcass decom- position. Methods : Two different study sites were chosen to conduct the experiment, exposed and shaded areas, at suburban of Hat Yai district, Songkhla Province. The medium/large size of pig carcasses (35–40 kg) were used in this study. The experiments were conducted four times during June–November 2018. Each time, two carcasses were used, a carcass per area. Insects were collected by using zip-lock bags, forceps and pitfall traps. Physical factors such as temperature, relative humidity and rainfall were also recorded. Results : A total of 4 orders of insects belonging to 15 families, 22 genera and 24 species were found. In the exposed area, 18 species from 14 subfamilies were recorded while 20 species from 14 subfamilies were col- lected from shaded area. The most dominant collected insect in both areas were Piophila casei and Necrobia ruficollis in terms of frequency and number of individual. Conclusion : The insects associated with the late stage decomposition of pig carcasses in both study sites were not significantly different. This study suggests that Necrobia ruficollis is a good candidate for PMI estimation in the late stage decomposition for these habitats. Keywords : Forensic entomology, decomposition, postmortem Interval, southern Thailand.