P. arthuri

Psammolestes arthuri (Pinto, 1926)

Nota: Psammolestes salazari is a synonym of Psammolestes arthuri (Galvão et al. 2003).

Distribution:

Characteristics:

- Length of male 11-13mm; female 12-14mm.

- Head and thorax highly polished;

- Head not constricted before neck, in lateral view;

- Head dorsally with wide percurrent yellowish band occupying entire interocular space;

- Long hairs on apex of second and on third rostral segment;

- Anterolateral angles of pronotum projecting forward to level of ocelli.

- Male genitalia with basal plate struts fused, large.

Biology:

Psammolestes arthuri is found in nests of Phacellodomus rufifrons inornatus (“cucarachero de monte” in Venezuela), and in other bird’s nests. Those insects have also been collected on palm trees and under the bark of dead trees. In human environment, they were seen on some building walls near a gas station at night attracted by light (J.M. Ayala pers. obs.).

The specie has been found naturally infected with T. cruzi.

A specimen of this species was seen catched by a Pseudoscorpionid (J.M. Ayala pers. obs.). It is known that these arachnida can be predators of Triatominae (Carcavallo et al. 1998).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aldana E, Viera D, Lizano E, Ramon F & Valderrama A. 1997. Morfología de Huevos y Ninfas de Psammolestes salazari (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae). Caribbean Journal of Science, 33(1-2): 70-74.

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

Carcavallo RV, Otero MA, Tonn RJ & Ortega R. 1975. Notas sobre la biología, ecología e distribución geográfica de Psammolestes arthuri (Pinto, 1926) (Hemiptera, Reduviidae). Descripción de los estadios preimaginales. Bol. Dir. Malariol. San. Amb., 15(5): 231-239.

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.