Calliphoridae (Diptera) on Decomposing Pig Carcasses and Human Cadavers in the Upper Midwest of North America.

The geographic ranges of forensically informative taxa on decomposing remains vary across regions. To determine which calliphorid flies would be expected to occur in Minnesota and the upper Midwest, individual freshly killed pig carcasses (Sus scrofa L.) were placed in the field in St. Paul, MN, at monthly intervals from May to October 2017 and May to September 2018. Aerial nets, forceps, and pitfall traps were used to collect and preserve associated adult and immature insects. Sixty-four forensically informative insect taxa were recorded, representing three insect orders and 14 families. Ten informative calliphorid species were recorded on carcasses, adding four new Minnesota records. Comparison of species lists from 26 human forensic cases indicated agreement between the two lists, except for Lucilia coeruleiviridis Macquart, Calliphora vomitoria (L.), and Cynomya cadaverina Robineau-Desvoidy, which occurred on pig carcasses but not human remains, and Calliphora livida Hall, which occurred on human remains, but not carcasses. The composite fauna list from cadavers agreed largely with the 2-yr list from pig carcasses.

Community composition and phenology of native Siricidae (Hymenoptera) attracted to semiochemicals in Minnesota.

As a result of the introduction of Sirex noctilio F. into North America, there has been increased interest in the poorly-described native Siricidae communities. To date, few studies have surveyed specifically for Siricidae, and many reports of native siricid populations are byproducts of sampling efforts targeting Coleoptera. We report results from a survey targeted specifically at native and exotic Siricidae in Minnesota. We used Lindgren funnel traps from 2006 to 2008 baited with α/ß-pinene (Sirex lure), ethanol (EtOH), EtOH + α-pinene, or Ips 3-part lures. We captured 704 native Siricidae comprising seven species, of which none were exotic. To our knowledge, this is one of the largest field collections of Siricidae from a single discrete set of localities in existence. Adult Siricidae began flying in June and continued into October each year. The α/ß-pinene lure was most effective, but the EtOH + α-pinene lure was also moderately effective. We compare our data with those from several states and provinces in the Great Lakes Region of North America. Our data provide insight into the community composition of native Siricidae in Minnesota, while concurrently providing evidence that S. noctilio populations have not yet reached this far into the continental United States.