Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Arthropod-Borne Diseases 2322-1984 11 3 2017 10 08 Insect Fauna of Human Cadavers in Tehran District 363 370 EN Fahimeh Talebzadeh Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Masoud Ghadipasha Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran Jaber Gharedaghi Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran Naser Yeksan Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran Kamran Akbarzadeh Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Ali Oshaghi Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2017 09 10 2017 09 10 Background: Entomological data can provide valuable information for crime scene investigations especially in post- mortem interval (PMI) estimation. This study performed to determine insect fauna of human corpses in Tehran dis­trict. Methods: Insect specimens were collected from 12 human cadavers during spring and summer 2014 and were identi­fied using morphological characteristics. Results: Four fly species including two blowflies Chrysomya albiceps and Lucilia sericata (Calliphoridae), one flesh fly Sarcophaga argyrostoma (Sarcophagidae), and one phorid fly Megaselia scalaris (Phoridae) and a beetle Der­mestes maculatus (Dermestidae) was observed on the human cadavers. Chrysomya albiceps was the most dominant species on the corpses temporally and spatially. Conclusion: Chrysomya albiceps was the most dominant insect species on human cadavers in the area study spatio­temporally. The data make C. albiceps as a valuable entomological indicator for PMI estimation in Tehran and other parts of the country. However, further biological and ecological data such as its behavior, life tables, and consistent developmental time should be investigated when establishing a PMI in the region. https://jad.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jad/article/view/717 https://jad.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jad/article/download/717/349