Cavernicola (Barber 1937) - Two species:

1. Cavernicola lenti (Brazil)
2. Cavernicola pilosa (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Venezuela)

Distribution

Characteristics

- Small triatomines (<13mm), not flattened

- Body surface smooth, without granulations or conspicuous rugosities, covered with long delicate hairs

- Head ovoid and strongly convex in dorsal view

- Antenniferous tubercles without apical spinelike projection

- Interocular sulcus stongly backwardly curved and almost attaining level of posterior border of head

- Rostrum attaining prosternum, with first and third segments very short, second much longer

- Femora very wide

Biology

- in caves and hollow trees

Cavernicola lenti (Barrett & Arias 1985)

Characteristics

- Length: 9.5-12mm

- Fifth connexival segment pale, white or redish

- First rostral segment attaining the antenniferous tubercle

- Anteocular region shorte than the postocular

Biology

- in dry forest of Brazil (Amazonas, rio Uatuma), < 500m

- hosts: Bats (Phyllosomus elongatus ?), Rodents (Rhipidomys sp). Labo: humans, mice, chickens, pigeons

- infected by T. cruzi

- Habitually sylvatic: in mammal burrows, hollow trees or under bark

Cavernicola pilosa (Barber 1937)

Characteristics

- Length: 11-13.5mm

- Abundant pilosity on the body, except on membrane of hemelytra

- General color from dark brown to piceous, with yellowish markings

- Head fusiform, slightly longer than pronotum

- Eyes small, not attaining ventral and dorsal head levels in lateral view

- Different types of venation in the inner cell of the membrane of the hemelytra were observed

- Connexivum totally dark

- First rostral segment not attining the antenniferous tubercle

- Pre and postocular regions of same length

Biology

- In dry forest / very dry forest or Savannah < 1000m. Also in dry / wet / moist forest when 1000m. In Brazil (Bahia, Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso, Pará, Paraná), Colombia (Cundinamarca, Meta, Tolima, Valle), Ecuador (Pastaza), Panama, Peru (Loreto), Venezuela (Cojedes, Portuguesa, Táchira, Lara, Territory Amazonas). < 1500m

- Hosts: bats (Desmodus rotundus, Dirias albiventer, Eumops abrasus, Molossus obscurus, Saccopteryx bilineatus)

- Occasionally domiciliated, frequently or occasionally peridomiciliary

- Habitually sylvatic: in mammal burrows, caves, hollow trees or under bark

- infected by T. cruzi and T. rangeli

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barber HG. 1937. A new bat-cave bug from Panama (Hemiptera, heteroptera, Reduviidae). Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, 39: 60-63.

Barret TV & Arias JR. 1985. A new triatomine host of Trypanosoma from the Central Amazon of Brazil: Cavernicola lenti n. sp. (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae). Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz, 80(1): 91-96.

Calderón EGE, Figueroa K, Náquira F, Carcavallo RU & canale DM. 1985. Péru. In: Factores Biológicos y Ecológicos en la Enfermedad de Chagas. II: 449-456, OPS-ECO/MSAS-SNCh, Buenos Aires

Carcavallo, RU & Martínez A. 1985. Biología, ecología y distribución geográfica de los triatominos americanos. In: Factores biológicos y ecológicos en la enfermedad de Chagas. I, pp149-208. OMS-ECO/MSAS-SNCh. Buenos Aires.

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

Cedillos R, Sousa OE, Zeledon R, Curto de Casas SI, Canale DM & Carcavallo RU. 1985. America Central. In: Factores Biológicos y Ecológicos en la Enfermedad de Chagas. II: 339-344 OPS-ECO/MSAS-SNCh, Buenos Aires.

Costa JM & Jurberg J. 1989. Studies on the resistance to fasting and nutritional aspects of Cavernicola lenti Barrett & Arias, 1985 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae). Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz 84(Suppl IV): 129-137.

Costa JM, Jurberg J & Barth OM. 1991. Estudios morfológicos de Cavernicola lenti Barret & Arias, 1985 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae). Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz, 86(2): 247-263.

Cuba Cuba CA, Abad-Franch F, Roldan Rodriguez J, Vargas Vasquez F, Pollack Velasquez L & Miles MA. 2002. The Triatomines of Northern Peru, with empaphis on the ecology and infection by Trypanosomes ofRhodnius ecuadoriensis (Triatominae). Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz, 97(2): 175-183

D’Alessandro A & Barreto P. 1985. Colombia. In: Factores Biológicos y Ecológicos en la Enfermedad de Chagas. II: 377-400 OPS-ECO/MSAS-SNCh, Buenos Aires.

De Oliveira MA, Moreira de Souza RC & Diotaiuti L. 2007. Redescription of the genus Cavernicola and the tribe Cavercolini (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae), with morphological and morphometric parameters. Zootaxa, 1457: 57-68.

Dias E, Mello GB, Costa O, Damasceno R & Azevedo M. 1942. Investigacôes sôbre esquisotripanose de morcègos no Estado do Para. Encontro do barbeiro Cavernicola pilosa como transmissor. Rev. Brasileira Biol. 2(1): 103-110.

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.

Espinola HN. 1985. Brasil. In: Factores Biológicos y Ecológicos en la Enfermedad de Chagas. II: 363-372 OPS-ECO/MSAS-SNCh, Buenos Aires.

Gomes AC & Pereira JLA. 1977. On the finding of Cavernicola pilosa Barber, 1937, in the State of Parana, Brazil. Rev. Saude Publ. S. Paulo, 11: 427-428.

Lent H & Jurberg J. 1969. O gênero Cavernicola Barber, 1937, com un estudio sôbre a genitália externa (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae). Rev. Brasileira Biol., 29(3): 317-327.

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.

Marinkelle CJ. 1966. Observations on human, monkey and bat trypanosomes and their vectors in Colombia. Trans. Royal Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg., 60: 109-116.

Marinkelle CJ. 1972. Colombian Triatominae and their infestation. Mitt. Inst. Colombo-Aleman Invest. Cient. 6: 13-29.

Ramirez-Pérez J. 1985. Chipos de Venezuela. 108p. CEPIALET OPS/MNS. Villa de Cura, Aragua

Soto Vivas A. 2009. Clave pictórica de triatominos (Hemiptera: Triatominae) de Venezuela. Boletin de Malariologia y Salud Ambiental. XLIX(2): 259-274.

Torrealba JW, Tonn RJ, Carcavallo RU, Lord R & Arata A. 1985. Venezuela. In: Factores Biológicos y Ecológicos en la Enfermedad de Chagas. II: 465-472 OPS-ECO/MSAS-SNCh, Buenos Aires.

Usinger RL. 1944. The Triatominae of North and Central America and the West Indies and their public health significance. Public. Health Bull. N°288, 83pp.