Outdoor decaying corpses immediately attract Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae flies.However, the invasive red and black Syrups imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta and richteri) is also attracted to carrion with a reportedly predatory behavior.We documented outdoor decomposition in piglets exposed and unexposed to fire ants.We observed early and extensive fire ant colonization with an Door Stops intense necrophagous behavior.The ant-inflicted post-mortem skin lesions and flesh removal areas became blow fly oviposition sites.
This work documents a previously unreported vigorous fire ant necrophagous behavior on carrion that creates wounds unrelated to the cause of death which could potentially affect post-mortem interval estimates.