Identifying Forensically Relevant Dermestid Beetles in Phoenix, AZ: A Comparison of Species Composition on Carrion Between Spring and Summer

Previous literature in forensic entomology usually features blow fly research, making literature on forensically relevant beetles hard to find. Although some species of dermestid beetles have been well-studied in regions like Hawaii or the eastern portion of the United States, there has been little forensically focused research regarding dermestid beetles found in the southwestern United States. We were able to report the presence of three species of forensically relevant dermestid beetles on carrion studied in Phoenix, Arizona as well as their relative abundance and wild sex ratios in the spring and summer seasons. Understanding the species of dermestid beetles found in Arizona will aid researchers in determining what beetle species are most important. Knowing the natural sex ratios of commonly found dermestid beetles will be invaluable for optimizing dermestid beetle colony performance for researchers breeding dermestid beetles. The detection of specific species of dermestid beetles will help determine which species of beetles need to be studied first.