Rhodnius micki, a new species of Triatominae (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) from Bolivia

Abstract

Rhodnius Stål, 1859 is the second largest genus of Triatominae after Triatoma Laporte, 1832, and includes several important Chagas vectors. Genitalia in Reduviidae are frequently used for species identification, but the current use of terminology for it is inconsistent in Triatominae. Here, Rhodnius mickisp. nov., is described from Bolivia and considered as belonging to the pictipes group based on its morphological characters and distribution. Detailed documentation of the genitalia of Rhodnius mickisp. nov. is provided with emphasis on its everted phallus, especially the endosomal sclerites, which are potentially useful as species-level diagnostic features in Rhodnius. To further verify the validity of this species, the head shapes and wing venation patterns of five species in Rhodnius are compared with morphometric analysis. After reviewing taxonomic and comparative morphology papers of assassin bugs, a vocabulary with a terminology of morphological characters, especially of external male genitalic characters, is assembled with the preferred terms and the synonyms listed. Establishing a consistent terminological framework will greatly facilitate future research on the homology of these structures across Triatominae and will ultimately contribute to our understanding of the evolution of these groups.

Trends in evolution of the Rhodniini tribe (Hemiptera, Triatominae): experimental crosses between Psammolestes tertius Lent & Jurberg, 1965 and P. coreodes Bergroth, 1911 and analysis of the reproductive isolating mechanisms

“…Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas, 1909) (Kinetoplastida, Trypanosomatidae) and the main form of transmission is through hematophagous insects known as triatomines [ 2 ]. Currently, 156 species of triatomines, divided into 18 genera and five tribes [ 3 – 5 ], have been identified, and all are considered to be potential Chagas disease vectors.…”

Trends in taxonomy of Triatomini (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae): reproductive compatibility reinforces the synonymization of Meccus Stål, 1859 with Triatoma Laporte, 1832

“…Triatomines are part of the Hemiptera order, Heteroptera suborder, Reduviidae family and Triatominae subfamily [ 2 ]. There are 156 species in this subfamily, distributed in 18 genera and five tribes [ 3 – 6 ]. The Triatomini tribe is composed of nine genera, namely, Dipetalogaster Usinger, 1939, Eratyrus Stål, 1859, Hermanlentia Jurberg & Galvão, 1997, Linshcosteus Distant, 1904, Mepraia Mazza, Gajardo & Jörg, 1940, Nesotriatoma Usinger, 1944, Panstrongylus Berg, 1879, Paratriatoma Barber, 1938, and Triatoma Laporte, 1832 [ 3 , 4 ].…”

Eratyrus mucronatus Stål, 1859 and Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus (Champion, 1899) (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae): first records in a riverside community of Rio Negro, Amazonas state, Brazil

“…Currently, 153 living and three fossil species are known to belong to the subfamily Triatominae (Reduviidae) (Alevi et al 2020;Galvão 2020;Zhao et al 2021). In the Brazilian Amazon, some species of triatomines have been found to be naturally infected by Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas, 1909), including Eratyrus mucronatus Stål, 1859, Microtriatoma trinidadensis (Lent, 1951), Tria toma sordida (Stål, 1859), Panstrongylus lignarius (Walker, 1837), Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus (Champion, 1899), Rhodnius brethesi Matta, 1919, Rhodnius neglectus Lent, 1954, Rhodnius paraensis Sherlock, Guitton & Miles, 1977, Rhodnius robustus Larrousse, 1927, and Rhodnius montenegrensis Rosa et al 2012(Bilheiros et al 2018Coura et al 2018;Ramos et al 2018;Madeira et al 2020).…”