Patterns of insect succession and decomposition on rabbit carcasses over the summer and winter seasons

In Bariq Aseer Province, South Saudi Arabia, insect succession patterns on rabbit carcasses were examined from 17 June to 6 August 2020 and from 15 February to 6 March 2021. Fresh, bloated, decay, and dry stages of decomposition were all studied. Bloated and decay stages exhibited higher taxonomic diversity than fresh and dry stages. Eighteen species, three orders, and eight families were assembled and identified. Ten taxa were active in two seasons, while six species were recorded in the winter season only [ Chrysomya marginalis (Wiedemann 1830), Scarabaeus acuticollis Motschulsky, 1849, Hister sp ., Trichomyrmex destructor (Jerdon 1851), Monomorium sp , and Brachyponera sennaarensis (Mayr 1862)] and two species in the summer season [ Camponotus aegyptiacus Emery 1915 and C. fellah Dalla Torre 1893]. A new species of beetle S. acuticollis was discovered that was not recorded in any region of Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, this study also reported on the ant species Monomorium bicolor and another species of beetle, Onthophagus variegatus (Fabricius 1798). But other members of the same genus had been recorded in Saudi Arabia in the past. Insect taxa associated with forensic investigations in the region of Bariq Aseer Province, South Saudi Arabia, were significant in determining the postmortem interval (PMI) during both seasons and different stages of decomposition.