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The diet spectrum of the great tit (Parus major L., 1758) was studied in transformed forests of northeastern Ukraine. Four forest ecosystems were surveyed: four model sites in oak woodlands and in a pine–oak forest with different stages of recreational digression. Forty-seven taxa of invertebrates (n = 325) were detected in the ration of great tit chicks. Insecta (72.4%): Lepidoptera (seven families, 35.9%), Hymenoptera (two families, 21.0%), Diptera (seven families, 2.7%) and Coleoptera (four families, 1.8%) were among them. In terms of the qualitative composition of invertebrates (20 species, 42.6%) and the proportion of seized food objects (159 objects), phytophages prevailed. The food composition of great tit chicks was the most similar in territories MS1 and MS4. It contained six common taxa for these territories (Stugren–Radulescu Index = 0.7, Jaccard = 0.2, Sorensen = 0.3).

During 2004, four experiments were carried out, one each season, in order to determine the species composition and seasonal dynamics of Calliphoridae in a rural area of Córdoba (Argentina). Two pigs (Sus seroja L.), weighing approximately 8 Kg each, were used in each experiment. They were killed with a blow to the head and immediately placed in a variant of the Schoenly et al. (1991) trap. One pig was exposed in the shade and the other one under direct sunlight. The insect fauna was collected daily during the four first weeks and every two or three days thereafter. A total of 16.609 adults of Calliphoridae were collected, and later on identified as one of the following seven species: Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann), Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius), Phaenicia sericata (Meigen), Phaenicia eximia (Wiedemann), Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius), Sarconesia chlorogaster (Wiedemann) and Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy. C. albiceps was the dominant species in summer, autumn and spring, being replaced in winter by C. vicina, S. chlorogaster and P. sericata. The analysis of the seasonal distribution of the species revealed that the greater incidences are in the months of summer, autumn and spring

The complex of necrobionts in the littoral zone in lakes of Karelia of different trophy states is considered. Forty-seven invertebrate species belonging to six classes and four types have been recorded on carcasses. The composition of necrobionts depends on the mass of carcasses, skin structure, and type of waterbody. Data on the rate of utilization are presented. The succession of necrobionts during the process of decomposition is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The beetle family Cholevidae (Coleoptera: Staphylinoidea), sometimes viewed as the subfamily Cholevinae of the Leiodidae, consists of some 1700 species worldwide. With the exception of specialized cave-dwelling species and species living in bird and mammal nests and burrows, the species are generalized soil-dwellers that, at least in temperate regions, are mostly found on vertebrate cadavers. Although they have been regularly reported from human corpses, and offer potential because of many species’ peak activity in the cold season, they have not been a focus of forensic entomologists so far. This is probably due to their small size and the difficulty in identifying the adults and their larvae. In this paper, we show that DNA-barcoding can help make this group of necrobiont beetles available as a tool for forensic research. We collected 86 specimens of 20 species of the genera Catops, Fissocatops, Apocatops, Choleva, Nargus, Ptomaphagus, and Sciodrepoides from the Netherlands and France and show that a broad “barcoding gap” allows almost all species to be easily and unambiguously identified by the sequence of the “barcoding gene” cytochrome c oxidase I (COI). This opens up the possibility of adding Cholevidae to the set of insect taxa routinely used in forensic entomology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The biology of Scopelocheirus hopei , a deep-sea (500 m) scavenging amphipod that lives on the continental slope of Mediterranean canyons, was studied. Animals were collected using a baited trap. A new method was developed for reproducibly measuring the exact length of the animals. All the categories of individuals were always present in the samples. The emergence of offspring occurs in successive cohorts. Individuals of the two sexes do not grow at the same rate: the males grow more quickly than the females, but their lifespans are shorter. The males are always less numerous than the females. Two production cycles occur. The females produce offspring all year round. The mean fecundity was found to be 218 eggs per female. The growth pattern was modelled. A strong correlation was observed between the length and the weight of the animals collected. Several hypotheses are proposed to explain the results obtained. La biologie et le cycle de vie d'un Amphipode nécrophage, Scopelocheirus hopei , vivant sur la pente continentale, ont été étudiés. Les animaux ont été récoltés au moyen d'un piège appâté placé par 500 m de fond. Une nouvelle technique de mesure des animaux a été mise au point. Toutes les catégories d'individus sont toujours présentes au cours du cycle de prélèvements. Les jeunes sont émis en cohortes successives. Les individus des deux sexes ne grandissent pas à la même vitesse, les mâles grandissent plus vite que les femelles, mais leur durée de vie est plus courte. Les mâles sont toujours moins nombreux que les femelles. Il existe deux cycles de production qui sont surimposés. Les femelles donnent des jeunes tout au long de l'année. La fécondité moyenne serait de 218 œufs par femelle. Un modèle de croissance a pu être établi. Il existe une étroite corrélation entre la taille et le poids des animaux. Différentes hypothèses sont avancées pour comprendre les résultats des observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]