title: Biological parameters of interbreeding subspecies of Meccus phyllosomus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) in western Mexico.
abstract: Understanding the biological parameters of some triatomine subspecies of Meccus phyllosomus (Burmeister) is a crucial first step in estimating the epidemiological importance of this group. Biological parameters related to egg eclosion, egg-to-adult development time, number of blood meals to moult, percentage of females at the end of the cycle, number of laid eggs, and the accumulative mortality for each instar of three M. phyllosomus subspecies [Meccus phyllosomus pallidipennis (Stål), Meccus phyllosomus longipennis (Usinger), and Meccus phyllosomus picturatus (Usinger)] as well as their laboratory hybrids were evaluated and compared. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were recorded among the experimental hybrids (M. p. longipennis × M. p. pallidipennis, M. p. longipennis × M. p. picturatus, M. p. pallidipennis × M. p. picturatus) and reciprocal cohorts. In five of the six studied parameters (egg eclosion, egg-to-adult development time, number of blood meals to moult, number of laid eggs and accumulative mortality), with the exception of the non-significant percentage of females obtained among all the studied cohorts, at least one of the parental cohorts in each set of crosses exhibited better fitness results than by those of their hybrid descendants. The lack of hybrid fitness in our study indicates the maintenance of reproductive isolation of parental genotypes. Moreover, the results lead us to propose that an incipient speciation process by distance is currently developing among the three studied subspecies, increasing the differences between them that modify the transmission efficiency of Trypanosoma cruzi to human beings in Mexico.
authors.affiliation: Área de Entomología Médica,Av. Enrique Arreola Silva 883,49000,Ciudad Guzmán,Jalisco,México.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Martínez-Ibarra
authors.affiliation: Becario de COFAA, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas,Instituto Politécnico Nacional,D. F.,México.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nogueda-Torres
authors.affiliation: Carrera de Veterinaria,Departamento de Salud y Bienestar,Centro Universitario del Sur, Universidad de Guadalajara,Av. Enrique Arreola Silva 883,49000,Ciudad Guzmán,Jalisco,México.
authors.forename: M Á
authors.initials: MÁ
authors.lastname: Cárdenas-De la Cruz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Investigación Biomédica, Facultad de Medicina,Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro,Santiago de Querétaro,Querétaro,México.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Villagrán
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina,Universidad Autónoma de Madrid,Madrid,España.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: de Diego-Cabrera
authors.affiliation: Área de Entomología Médica,Av. Enrique Arreola Silva 883,49000,Ciudad Guzmán,Jalisco,México.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bustos-Saldaña
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D005260:Female; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000254:growth & development / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology*; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi
keywords: Chagas disease; Triatomines; Trypanosoma cruzi transmission; hybrids; laboratory conditions