Research Status of Sarcosaprophagous Beetles as Forensic Indicators.

Simple Summary: As an important group of species in forensic entomology, sarcosaprophagous beetles can provide valuable clues to the postmortem interval of cadavers, especially in the late stages of decay. However, compared with flies, these species have not received much attention, and their potential value in forensic science is yet to be fully exploited. Therefore, in order to attract people's attention to them and to increase their use in forensic practice, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of the literature on sarcosaprophagous beetles, statistically analyzed the beetles mentioned in successions, cases, and other experiments in relation to cadavers, briefly introduced each family of sarcosaprophagous beetles, and discussed the value of their immature species identification and forensic postmortem interval estimation. In forensic entomology, research focused on sarcosaprophagous flies, but the sarcosaprophagous beetles, as important "forensic indicator species" of late-stage PMI in cadaver decomposition, received less attention. To increase attention on, and use and understanding of, sarcosaprophagous beetles in forensic entomology, this paper presents a bibliometric analysis of the available relevant literature. The occurrence frequency of beetle families and species from succession studies, actual cases, and experiments were calculated and illustrated using graphs. As a result, a total of 14 families and 1077 species associated with carcasses were collected, with Staphylinidae being the most frequently recorded among the families, and Necrobia rufipes (Fabricius, 1781) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) being the most frequently recorded species. In addition, a brief introduction of the cadaver-related beetles of each family is given, and research on the species identification of the immature stages, age estimation of the immature stages, and estimation of the arrival time of sarcosaprophagous beetles are discussed and prospected. This work will aid in the increased use of sarcosaprophagous beetles in forensic science practice in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]