Triatomine classification is based on morphological characteristics. Studies have been conducted to improve their identification by observing many characteristics. However, there are problems of differentiating among highly interrelated species and new criteria are required. The purpose of this study was to determine the morphological differences in the external female genitalia of M. pallidipennis, M. longipennis, M. picturatus, M. bassolsae, M. mazzottii, and M. phyllosomus in order to distinguish among species using scanning electron microscopy. Observations were made of the dorsal, posterior, lateral, and ventral views of the female external genitalia for each species. In the six species we studied, relevant differences were observed in the dorsal view of the X segment, as well as the IX, VIII, and VII tergites. In the posterior and lateral view, the most visible differences were registered in the gonocoxite size of the segments VIII, IX, and X. Finally, in the ventral view of the VII sternite, differences among species were observed in the size of the inflection in the top and upper corner. Our results show that it was possible to differentiate among the triatominae species for each of the four views by using a scanning electron microscope to analyze morphological characteristics of the VII, VIII, IX, and X abdomen segments.
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1 December 2017
External Female Genitalia of Six Species of the Genus Meccus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae)
Nancy Rivas,
Victor Sánchez-Cordero,
Alejandro D. Camacho,
Ricardo Alejandre-Aguilar
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Journal of Vector Ecology
Vol. 42 • No. 2
December 2017
Vol. 42 • No. 2
December 2017
apical abdominal segment
Chagas disease vectors
Meccus
morphology
scanning electron microscopy
Triatominae