(Ramírez-Rovelo et al. 1990, Malo et al. 1993, Barbosa-Gómez & García da Silva 2001, Martínez-Ibarra et al. 2003b or remain unknown, as in M. phyllosomus and in M. bassolsae. In consequence, taking into account the associations of those three last species in natural and artificial environments and previous information on its host preferences, the objective of this study was to determine the influence of the blood meal source on the life-cycle, reproductive development and feeding and defecation behavior of M. phyllosomus, M. mazzottii, and M. bassolsae under laboratory conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODSLaboratory colonies of M. phyllosomus and M. mazzottii established in 2004 from specimens captured in Oaxaca, Mexico were used, whereas a colony of M. bassolsae, established in 2004, with specimens originally obtained from Acatlan, Puebla, Mexico, was also used. Colonies were maintained at 27 ± 1ºC and 75 ± 5% relative humidity (rh) and fed weekly on immobilized Leghorn hens or New Zealand rabbits.

In Latin America, Mexico is the country with the second highest annual estimated number of Chagas disease cases, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, due to vector-borne transmission. The state of Oaxaca is the location of the first documented human cases of Chagas disease in Mexico and contained the highest T. cruzi seropositive rate (3.5%) from blood donors. Here, entomological surveys, from 2017 to 2019, were conducted to collect triatomines in 124 villages of 60 municipalities. Four principal domestic Triatoma spp. (Hemiptera: Triatominae), Triatoma phyllosoma, T. barberi, T. mazzotti, and T. dimidiata, of Oaxaca, Mexico were identified by morphology and molecular analysis of the barcode region of the cytochrome oxidase 1 (cox1 or COI or CO1) gene. A total of 41 out of 83 T. phyllosoma specimens examined by microscopy were positive for T. cruzi (49%), 49 out of 171 for T. barberi (28%), 31 out of 177 for T. mazzotti (17%), and none out of 10 for T. dimidiata (0%). Overall, the infestation index was 3.1% of households containing at least one triatomine; the crowding index was a mean of two Triatoma spp./household; and the colonization index was 0.38 for households based on presence of nymphs. Geographical distribution of triatomines in Oaxaca at the municipality level and endophilic behavior is also reported. Precise identification, endophilic habits, and infection rates of these triatomines are paramount for vector control programs of the Ministry of Health of Oaxaca and beyond.