R. prolixus

Rhodnius prolixus (Stal, 1859)

Distribution:

Brazil (Amazonas, Coias, Para, Rio de Janeiro)Colombia (Antioquia, Arauca, Boyaca, Caqueta, Casanare, Cesar, Cundinamarca, Guajira, Huila, Magdalena, Meta, Norte Santander, Putumayo, Santander, Tolima, Vichada) Costa Rica El Salvador Ecuador (Esmeraldas, Manabi, Napo, Zamora-Chinchipe) Mexico (Oaxaca, Chiapas) Guatemala Guyana French Guiana Honduras Nicaragua Panama Suriname Trinidad Venezuela (all the states)

Characteristics:

- males: 17.5-20.0mm, females: 19.5-21.5mm

- general color light yellowish brown, with dark brown parkings on various regions of the body and appendages

- anteocular region slightly over 3 times as long as postocular

- hemelytra with veins narrowly margined with pale yellow

- legs uniformly brownish

Biology:

- domestic, vector in Central America and north of South America

- attracted to light

- In Venezuela, present in the all country, from sea level to 2000m elevation

- found in burrows of pacas (Agouti paca), armadillos and porcupines (Coendou prehensilis); with Didelphis marsupialis, Marmosa cinerea, Philander sp. Tamandua tetradactyla, Conepatus semistriatus, Cuniculus pacca, Dasypus novemcinctus, Oechomys concolor, Rattus rattus; Ameiva sp and other lizards; in association with various birds such as Jabiru mycteria, Mycteria Americana, Mimus gilvus, Neochon jubata, Phacellodomus rufifrons, Thryothorus rutilus, Polyborus plancus

- in palm trees (Copernitita tectorum, Mauritia flexuosa, M. minos, Attalea humboldtiana, Acrocomia sclerocarpa, A. aculeate, Orbignya speciosa, Maximiliana elegans, Sabal muritiaformis, Scheelea sp, Coccos nucifera, Oenocarpus batana, Jessenia policarpa, Leopoldina piassaba), in trees (Samanea saman, Chlorophora sp., Agamia agami, Euxenura maguari, Theristicus caudatus, Cercibis oxyceerca, Caracaya plancus, Polyborus plancus). In bromelid Aechmea sp.

- Feeding sources: Cunniculus pacca, Didelphis marsupialis, Marmosa sp. Philander sp. Oecomys concolor, Rattus rattus, Dasypus novemcinctus. Cats, dogs, bovids, pigs, frogs, lizards, poultry, human.

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.