Interval estimation of thermal summation parameters in forensically important insects.

ABSTRACT: Estimating time of death based on entomological evidence commonly relies on the "law of total effective temperature", which requires developmental parameters of specific insect taxa. These are often calculated using the method of Ikemoto and Takai. However, this approach has key limitations. Most importantly, the lack of interval estimates may give the false impression of population homogeneity, which contradicts the substantial variation typically observed in insect populations. In this study, we propose an alternative method. It estimates interval values for developmental parameters while simultaneously identifying component populations within a dataset. The method involves fitting a finite mixture of Weibull distributions to development time data using the Expectation-Maximization (EM)

SUBMITTER: Wydra J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12528742 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature