title: Influence of blood meal and mating in reproduction patterns of Triatoma brasiliensis females (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) under laboratory conditions.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Eco-Epidemiologia da Doença de Chagas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Natália Faria
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Daflon-Teixeira
authors.forename: Filipe Aníbal
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Carvalho-Costa
authors.forename: Ralem Gary
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Marli Maria
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D010058:Oviposition / Q000502:physiology*; D014224:Triatoma / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*