Invertebrate signature indicating body movement from urban to rural areas in northeastern Ohio

An understanding of the invertebrate community in an urban or a rural setting may help to determine if a body has been moved from one area to another during forensic entomological investigations. The purpose of this study was to determine if an invertebrate signature is associated with a body moved from an urban location in northeastern Ohio to a more rural location. Six domestic pig carcasses, approximately 16 kg each, were obtained and placed in the following locations: two in a rural area of Cuyahoga County, and four in an urban area on Cleveland State University campus. After 24hr, two of the carcasses from the urban location were moved to the rural location. Each carcass was sampled from 16 June 2009 to 1 August 2009. Hand sorting, aerial sweep netting, and pitfall traps were employed for each pig. Most of the specimens were collected within the first four weeks of the study and included both adult and larval samples. All three carcass types supported the same array of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae), house flies (Diptera: Muscidae), and beetles (Coleoptera). However, our analysis reveals that species dominance and presence/absence of taxa other than flies and beetles may shed light on body movement in northeast Ohio.