TY  - JOUR
JF  - Acarologia
T1  - Astigmatid Mites in Forensic Context in Slovakia: A Preliminary Study
VL  - 66
IS  - Suppl
SP  - 244
EP  - 244
PY  - 2026
SN  - 0044-586X
SN  - 2107-7207
PB  - Les Amis d'Acarologia
AU  - Lucia, Švecová
AU  - Radoslava, Hubeková
AU  - Lucia, Švecová
AU  - Radoslava, Hubeková
UR  - https://doi.org/10.24349/63hd-b7kl
DO  - 10.24349/63hd-b7kl
DA  - 2026-07-20
ET  - 2026-07-20
KW  - Acari
KW  - Cadaver
KW  - Decay
KW  - Succession
KW  - Abundance
AB  - A cadaver represents a specific emergent habitat for mites belonging to different trophic guilds, ranging from predatory to mycophagous and saprophagous species. These organisms colonize the cadaver either directly from the surrounding environment or through phoretic associations with forensically important insect species. Microclimatic changes during decomposition influence shifts in the abundance of different mite groups, making their presence useful for estimating the post-mortem interval and for the retrospective reconstruction of insect colonization. Astigmatid mites possess particular forensic relevance during the advanced stages of decomposition, when post-mortem interval estimation becomes increasingly challenging. Forensic acarology is a relatively recent field in Slovakia, and the role of astigmatid mites remains largely underexplored. Our study provides the first empirical data on this group from this region. Changes in mite abundance were monitored across decomposition stages, from the fresh to post-decay stage, with one sampling performed during each stage. A 15 kg juvenile domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica Linnaeus, 1758) served as the experimental model and decomposed under natural outdoor conditions in a peri-urban environment during summer. Soil samples were collected from beneath the anterior (head) and posterior (hindquarters) regions of the cadaver, and a single control sample was taken approximately five meters away. Mites were extracted using Berlese–Tullgren funnels and subsequently separated under a stereomicroscope. The abundance of Astigmata changed markedly throughout the decomposition process, particularly between the initial and post-decay stages. In the fresh stage, mite abundance was lower beneath the cadaver (head: 3 individuals; hindquarters: 5 individuals) compared to the control soil (10 individuals). This pattern reversed during the bloated stage, when the number of specimens increased to 23 beneath the head and 285 beneath the hindquarters (control: 4 individuals). Abundance increased substantially as decomposition progressed, reaching 5,020 individuals beneath the head and 1,213 beneath the hindquarters during the decay stage, and peaking at 115,920 individuals beneath the head and 37,980 beneath the posterior region during the post-decay stage. As the first report from Slovakia, this study provides a foundation for future research and highlights the forensic potential of astigmatid mites. Building on these initial findings, further investigations will focus on species-level identification and more detailed ecological analyses in order to better understand colonization dynamics and improve the application of mites in forensic investigations.
ER -