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Carrion Community

Definition

The full assemblage of arthropods associated with a decomposing body at a given point in time: calyptrate flies, silphid and staphylinid beetles, dermestid beetles, mites, and a range of necrophagous, predatory, and incidental species.

Related terms

Dermestidae (Hide Beetles)
Beetles in the family Dermestidae that colonise remains in the dry or skeletal stage, feeding on desiccated tissue, skin, and hair. Their...
Faunal Succession
The predictable, roughly ordered replacement of one insect community by another as a cadaver's chemistry and physical condition change through decomposition. Each...
Indicator Species
A species whose known arrival window in the local succession series allows the analyst to set a bound on elapsed time. Its...
Reference Succession Series
A documented record of which species colonise carcasses in a given region and season, in what order, and for roughly how long....
Silphidae (Burying Beetles and Allies)
A family of carrion beetles that arrive during active or advanced decay. Some bury small carcasses for larval feeding; others compete with...

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