R. nasutus

Rhodnius nasutus (Stal, 1859)

Distribution:

Brazil (Ceará, Maranhão, Paraiba, Piaui, Rio Grande do Norte)

Characteristics:

- males: 12.5-16.5 mm, females: 14-18 mm

- overall color light reddish brown

- trochantera not contrasting strongly with femora

- connexival plats with dark spots faint, specially on under surface

- third antennal segment with basal portion light, apical dark

- legs uniformly light reddish brown, slender

Biology:

- in arid northeastern Brazil (Caatinga)

- in palm trees (Acrocomia intumescens, Attalea speciosa, Copernicia prunifera, Mauritia flexuosa, Syagrus oleracea), and in trees (Licania rigida)

- occasionally found in human habitations, in chicken houses, in corrals

- feeding sources: birds, poultry, donkeys, goats, opossums, bats

- aggressive to humans

- naturally infected with T. cruzi and T. rangeli

- may be considered an efficient T. cruzi vector

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.

Deane LM, Deane MP. 1957. Notas sôbre transmissores e reservatorios do Trypanosoma cruzi noroeste do Estado do Ceara. Rev Brasileira malariol D Trop, 9(4): 577-595.

Dias FB, Diotaiuti L, Romanha AJ, Bezerra CM, Machado EM. 2007. First report on the occurence of Trypanosoma rangeli Tejera, 1920 in the state of Ceara, Brazil, in naturally infected triatomine Rhodnius nasutus Stal, 1859 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae). Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 102: 643-645 (pdf).

Dias FBS, Bezerra CM, Machado EMM, Casanova C, Diotaiuti L. 2008. Ecological aspects of Rhodnius nasutus Stal, 1859 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) in palms of the Chapada do Araripe in Ceara, Brazil. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 103(8): 824-830 (pdf).

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.

Lima MM, Sarqui O. 2008. Is Rhodnius nasutus (Hemiptera; Reduviidae) changing its habitat as a consequence of human activity? Parasitology research, 102(4): 797-800.

Oliveira TG, Carvalho-Costa FA, Sarquis O, Lima MM. 2009. Feeding and defecation patterns of Rhodnius nasutus (Hemiptera; Reduviidae), a triatomine native to an area endemic for Chagas disease in the state of Cerara, Brazil. Am J Trop Med Hyg, 81(4): 651-655 (pdf).