Life cycle and influence of age and feeding on the first mating of Triatoma mazzottii (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

Abstract

A cohort of 100 eggs of Triatoma mazzottii Usinger was studied to obtain information on its life cycle. Egg incubation took 24 days; mean duration of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th instar nymphs was 27, 36, 39, 46, and 64 days respectively; mean time from egg to adult was 236 days. The total duration of the nymphal stages was 212 days. The total nymph mortality in cohort was 16.3%, and the embryonic egg mortality was 14.0%. The greater mortality occurred in the 2nd instar. The average number of eggs/female/week was 9.8 during 15 weeks of observation. Of the total eggs laid (2,514), only 58.7% hatched. The total of insects that achieved the adult stage (72), 38 were females (52.8%), and 34 were males (47.2%). The influence of age and feeding on the first mating of T. mazzottii were also studied. It was found that the first mating depended on the male's age and it was on the average 30 days after the last imaginal molt. The female could be mating since 2nd days after the imaginal life. The nutritional status did not play an important role in the capacity of the insect for the first mating.

Biology of three species of the Meccus phyllosomus complex (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) fed on blood of hens and rabbits

“…The cohort of M. bassolsae fed on rabbits was significant (p < 0.05) different from remain five studied cohorts. Mortality rates in both cohorts of M. phyllosomus and M. bassolsae of this study were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than for other Mexican Triatominae species, such as T. barberi (Zárate 1983, Martínez-Ibarra et al 2005, M. mazzottii (Malo et al 1993), M. pallidipennis (Martínez-Ibarra & Katthain-Duchateau 1999), M. dimidiatus (Martínez-Ibarra et al 2001), but mortality rates in both cohorts of M. phyllosomus and in the cohort of M. bassolsae fed on hens were according to most published data for some other species of the M. phyllosomus complex, as for M. pallidipennis, M. longipennis and M. mazzottii (Martínez-Ibarra & NoveloLópez 2004.…”

“…Average development time for M. phyllosomus and M. mazzottii was shorter than M. longipennis and M. mazzottii, similar to M. picturatus and longer than M. pallidipennis. Meanwhile, the average development time of M. bassolsae was similar to M. longipennis and M. mazzottii, and longer than M. picturatus and M. pallidipennis (Malo et al 1993, Martínez-Ibarra et al 2003b, Martínez-Ibarra & Novelo-López 2004.…”

“…Many authors report egg hatching rates in Triatominae species above 80% (Zeledón et al 1970, Rabinovich 1972 Martínez-Ibarra et al 2003a, b, 2004, some other species of the complex (M. pallidipennis, M. mazzottii) have had lower egg hatching rates, even under 60%, (M. pallidipennis) depending on maintenance conditions (Malo et al 1993, Martínez-Ibarra & Katthain-Duchateau 1999, Martínez-Ibarra & Novelo-López 2004, Martínez-Ibarra et al 2005). Egg hatching rates above 90% in both cohorts of M. mazzottii on this current study, as well as egg hatching close to 80% on M. phyllosomus fed on hens and M. bassolsae fed on rabbits reflects how favorable were maintenance conditions for the proper development of triatomines.…”

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(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 METHODS

Laboratory 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.

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“…Habits, feeding, and defecation behaviors of M. pallidipennis and M. longipennis have been extensively studied (Torres-Estrada et al 1993, MenaSegura et al 1994, Bautista et al 1999, Martínez-Ibarra & Katthain-Duchateau 1999, Martínez-Ibarra et al 2003a, Enger et al 2004, Martínez-Ibarra & Novelo-López 2004, Sosa-Jurado et al 2004, Salazar-Schettino et al 2005. In contrast, those behaviors aspects of M. picturatus and M. mazzottii have been only partially studied (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.…”