Abstract

DAFLON-TEIXEIRA, Natália Faria; CARVALHO-COSTA, Filipe Aníbal; CHIANG, Ralem Gary  and  LIMA, Marli Maria. Influence of blood meal and mating in reproduction patterns of Triatoma brasiliensis females (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) under laboratory conditions. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz [online]. 2009, vol.104, n.7, pp. 1031-1034. ISSN 0074-0276.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0074-02762009000700016.

The influence of blood meal and mating on Triatoma brasiliensis (Neiva) female fecundity, fertility, life-span and the preoviposition period were investigated under laboratory conditions. Nourishment increased fecundity, fertility and adult lifespan, whereas mating increased fecundity, fertility and decreased the preoviposition period. Females also required more than one mating to reach their full reproductive potential. Results indicate that both nourishment and mating are important in T. brasiliensis proliferation. Such information will help towards developing effective control strategies of this vector of Chagas disease.

Keywords : Triatoma brasiliensis; triatomine; fecundity; fertility.