title: Cross-mating experiments detect reproductive compatibility between Triatoma sherlocki and other members of the Triatoma brasiliensis species complex.
abstract: Phylogenetic approaches based on mitochondrial DNA variation (fragments of Cyt B and 16S ribosomal RNA) have revealed Triatoma sherlocki as the most recent species addition to the Triatoma brasiliensis species complex; a monophyletic group which includes T. brasiliensis, Triatoma melanica, and Triatoma juazeirensis. T. sherlocki is the most differentiated among all species of this complex: it is unable to fly, possesses longer legs than the other members, and has reddish tonality in some parts of its exochorion. We question whether these species are reproductively compatible because of this pronounced morphological differentiation, and therefore, we present a series of cross breeding experiments that test compatibility between T. sherlocki and other members of the T. brasiliensis complex. We extended our analyses to include crosses between T. sherlocki and Triatoma lenti, because the latter has been suggested as a possible member of this complex. T. sherlocki male×T. lenti female pairs failed to produce hybrids. All other crosses of T. sherlocki and members of T. brasiliensis species complex, as well as backcrosses, produced viable offspring through the third generation. This study stresses the importance of searching for the features that may isolate members of the T. brasiliensis species complex.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biodiversidade Entomológica, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: nathcor@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nathália
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Correia
authors.forename: Carlos E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lima-Neiva
authors.forename: Márcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gumiel
authors.forename: L Lynnette
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Dornak
authors.forename: Marli M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Lívia M O
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.forename: Vagner J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Mendonça
authors.forename: João A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: da Rosa
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D012098:Reproduction; D060047:Reproductive Isolation; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D014224:Triatoma / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*
keywords: Chagas disease; Hybridization; Reproductive compatibility; Species complex; Triatominae