Search

The pattern of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) distribution in rivers of Gunung Jerai catchment in Kedah, a northern state in Peninsular Malaysia, varied significantly among rivers (p < 0.005) coinciding with the substrate embeddedness and shaded areas of their habitats. Generally Ephemeroptera preferred a habitat with optimal embeddedness (0–25% substrates surrounded by fine sediments) while Trichoptera and Plecoptera preferred marginal (50–75% substrates surrounded by fine sediments) or suboptimal (25–50% substrates surrounded by fine sediments) conditions. The Kruskal–Wallis test indicated that the EPT abundance differed significantly among various categories of substrate embeddedness (χ 2 = 19.673, p < 0.005) and canopy cover (χ 2 = 20.723, p < 0.005). The Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) ordination and the non-supervised artificial neural network (ANN) showed that distribution of Neoperla (Plecoptera), Hydropsyche and Setodes (Trichoptera) were strongly influenced by the embeddedness of rivers' substrates in the surrounding sand and silts in each river. In addition, the amount of canopy covering the water surface determined the associations of Kamimuria, Ecnomus, Macrostemum, Setodes and Ganonema with their habitats. These results showed that distribution of the EPT genera in these rivers was influenced by the availability of surface area on rocky substrates and the amount of light penetration into the water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) using maggots obtained during autopsy, the forensic entomologist makes decisions regarding the effects of low-temperature storage of the body on the insects. In this case report, a corpse was found in an abandoned house in the residential area of Bukit Mertajam, Penang, Malaysia. The maggots were found to be alive inside the mouth of the deceased although the corpse had been in the morgue cooler for 12 days. The maggots were reared and identified as Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius). The emerged adult flies were kept as a stock colony, and the duration of development under the indoor fluctuating temperature regime was studied. The total duration of developmental process of this species was 9.5 ± 0.5 days, and the PMI estimated was 3.2 ± 0.6 days. This case report demonstrates the survival of Ch. megacephala maggots for 12 days and their growth inside the morgue cooler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]