Distribution

Characteristics

- Male length: 11mm, females: 12mm

- Entire body with short golden pilosity, except membrane of hemelytra

- Overall color dark brown, the following orange or yellowish: collar including anterolateral processes; 6+6 discal tubercles of pronotum; lateral outer and humeral angles of pronotum; submedian and lateral carinae; scutellar process; external spinelike projection of antenniferous tubercle; distal third of coxae, trochanter, connection between femora and tibiae, and tarsus of all legs; the longer spinelike projection of femora in all legs; distal half of dorsal and ventral connexival segments, including spiracles

Biology

- the main hosts of B. ferroae are insects belonging to the order Blattodea, whose haemolymph serves as food (89%)

- no natural infection with Trypanosoma cruzi was found

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Carcavallo RU, Galindez Giron, I, Jurberg, J & Lent H. 1998. Atlas of Chagas’ disease vectors in the Americas. Vol I, II, III. FioCruz Edition.

Dujardin JP, Schofield CJ & Panzera F. 2000. Les vecteurs de la maladie de Chagas. Recherches taxonomiques, biologiques et génétiques. Académie Royales des Sciences d'Outre-Mer.

Galvão C, Carcavallo R, Da Silva Rocha D & Jurberg J. 2003. A checklist of the current valid species of the subfamily Triatominae Jeannel, 1919 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) and their geographical distribution, with nomenclatural and taxonomic notes. Zootaxa, 202: 1-36.

Lent H & Wygodzinsky P. 1979. Revision of the Triatominae (Hemiptera, Reduviidae), and their significance as vectors of Chagas disease. Bull. American Mus. Nat. Hist. 163 (Art. 3): 125-520.

Sandoval CM, Pabon E, Jurberg J. & Galvão C. 2007. Belminus ferroae n. sp. from the Colombian north-east, with a key to the species of the genus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae). Zootaxa, 1443: 55-64 (pdf).

Sandoval CM, Ortiz N, Jaimes D, Lorosa E, Galvão C, Rodriguez O, Scorza JV & Gutiérrez R. 2010. Feeding behaviour of Belminus ferroae (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), a predaceous Triatominae colonizing rural houses in Norte de Santander, Colombia. Med. Vet. Entomol., 24: 124-131.