The Use of the Developmental Rate of the Aquatic Midge Chironomus riparius (Diptera, Chironomidae) in the Assessment of the Postsubmersion Interval

• Alejandro González Medina ^[2] ; Oscar Soriano Hernando ^[1] ; Gilberto Jiménez Ríos ^[2]
  1. [1] Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales

     Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales

     Madrid, España

     
  2. [2] Institute of Legal Medicine of Granada Granada Spain
• Localización: Journal of forensic sciences, ISSN-e 1556-4029, ISSN 0022-1198, Vol. 60, Nº. 3, 2015, págs. 822-826
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Nonbiting midges (Diptera, Chironomidae) are the most abundant members of the fauna associated with submerged carcasses, but their use in the medicolegal context is very restricted because of their complex ontogeny. In this case, the corpse of a woman was recov- ered in late spring from a river in Granada (Iberian Peninsula). It showed obvious signs of long permanence in the aquatic environment and, along with pulmonary and microscopical analyses, led to the conclusion that the cause of death was drowning. Several larvae-like specimens were sampled from the scalp and later identified by morphological external features as IV instar larvae of Chironomus riparius Meigen, 1804 (Diptera, Chironomidae). Sequencing of cytochrome oxidase subunit I was performed to confirm the identification. The knowledge of the biology of C. riparius at low temperatures was critical to assess a postsubmersion interval of 16–17 days.