A peer-reviewed version of this preprint was published in PeerJ on 1 August 2017. View the peer-reviewed version (peerj.com/articles/3506), which is the preferred citable publication unless you specifically need to cite this preprint. Charabidze D, Gosselin M, Hedouin V. 2017. Use of necrophagous insects as evidence of cadaver relocation: myth or reality? PeerJ 5:e3506 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3506 Use of necrophagous insects as evidence of cadaver relocation: myth or reality? Damien CHARABIDZE Corresp., 1 , Matthias GOSSELIN 2 , Valéry HEDOUIN 1 1 CHU Lille, EA 7367 - UTML - Unite de Taphonomie Medico-Legale, Univ Lille, 59000 Lille, France 2 Research Institute of Biosciences, Laboratory of Zoology, UMONS - Université de Mons, Mons, Belgium Corresponding Author: Damien CHARABIDZE Email address:
[email protected] The use of insects as indicators of postmortem displacement is discussed in many text, courses and TV shows, and several studies addressing this issue have been published. However, the concept is widely cited but poorly understood, and only a few forensic cases have successfully applied such a method. Surprisingly, this question has never be taken into account entirely as a cross-disciplinary theme. The use of necrophagous insects as evidence of cadaver relocation actually involves a wide range of data on their biology: distribution areas, microhabitats, phenology, behavioral ecology and molecular analysis are among the research areas linked to this problem. This article reviews for the first time the current knowledge on these questions and analysze the possibilities/limitations of each method to evaluate their feasibility. This analysis reveals numerous weaknesses and mistaken beliefs but also many concrete possibilities and research opportunities.