Immature instars of three species of Rhodnius Stal, 1859 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae): morphology, morphometry, and taxonomic implications.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Among the 18 genera of the Triatominae subfamily, three stand out for their diversity and epidemiological importance: Triatoma, Panstrongylus, and Rhodnius. Rhodnius includes 21 species that can transmit Trypanosoma cruzi (the etiological agent of Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis) and Trypanosoma rangeli. The Rhodnius prolixus complex comprises seven species, including Rhodnius marabaensis, Rhodnius prolixus, and Rhodnius robustus, which occur in the northern region of Brazil. Since both adults and immatures can carry T. cruzi, in this study the five nymphal instars of the three species mentioned were dorsally characterized.

Methods

Using microscopy, morphometrics, and geometric morphometrics, the present work measures and describes the morph

SUBMITTER: Lazari Cacini G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8932165 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature