ABSTRACT
Elvert domestic guinea pig corpses were employed as modeJs for studying decomposition and insect succession in Benha city, Egypt, from April 2009 to March 2010. Ambient temperature, faunistic succession over time, and the rate of decay in different seasons were all compared. Results indicated that ambient temperature is the chief factor determining the seasonal variations in decay rate, The diversity of insect community increased as the state of decomposition advances, Members of Dcrtnistidae and Forrrnicidae were the first coleopteran and hymenopteran colonizers in all seasons, Sarcophaga, Wholfortia and Chrygoinya was observed in spring and summer. Meanwhile, species of Wholjbrila were absent in winter and C.tysoniya species were absent in fall. Patterns of insect succession occurred in a predictable sequence that varied across different seasons. The rate of corpse's decomposition was faster in summer and autumn as compared to spring and winter
Keywords: Forensic entomology; Insect succession; Corpse; Postmortem interval; Dccornposition Egypt,