title: Biology of Triatoma sherlocki (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) Under Laboratory Conditions: Biological Cycle and Resistance to Starvation.
abstract: Triatoma sherlocki Papa, Jurberg, Carcavallo, Cerqueira & Barata was described in 2002, based on specimens caught in the wild in the municipality of Gentio do Ouro, Bahia, Brazil. In 2009, nymphs and adults were detected inside homes and sylvatic specimens were positive for Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas). No information on the bionomics of T. sherlocki exists, although such data are considered essential to estimate its vector and colonization potential in domestic environments. Herein, the biological cycle of T. sherlocki was studied based on 123 eggs, with nymphs and adults fed on Mus musculus (Linnaeus). Nymphal development time phases, number of meals consumed, and stage-specific mortality rates were analyzed. Survival time under starvation conditions was measured between ecdysis and death among 50 nymphs (first to fifth instar) and 50 male and female adults. The median development time from egg to adult was 621.0 (CI: 489-656) d. The number of meals consumed ranged from 1 to 20 for nymphs of the first to fifth instar. The fifth instar showed the greatest resistance to starvation, with a mean of 156.5 d. The high number of meals consumed by T. sherlocki favored infection with and transmission of T. cruzi. The full development of this species under laboratory conditions with a low mortality rate indicates that this vector presents biological characteristics that may contribute to its adaptation to artificial human ecotopes. Its high resistance to starvation emphasizes the importance of entomological surveillance for this species.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biodiversidade Entomológica. Avenida Brasil, nº 4365, sala 211, Pavilhão Mourisco, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21040-900, Brasil.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lima-Neiva
authors.affiliation: Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Vigilância Entomológica em Diptera e Hemiptera. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brasil.
authors.forename: Teresa C M
authors.initials: TCM
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Programa de computação científica (PROCC) da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brasil.
authors.forename: Leonardo S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gumiel
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biodiversidade Entomológica. Avenida Brasil, nº 4365, sala 211, Pavilhão Mourisco, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21040-900, Brasil.
authors.forename: Nathália C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Correia
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Transmissores de Hematozoários, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Brasil.
authors.forename: Catia C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Parasitologia, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas UNESP, São Paulo 14801-902, Brasil.
authors.forename: Carlos E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biodiversidade Entomológica. Avenida Brasil, nº 4365, sala 211, Pavilhão Mourisco, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21040-900, Brasil.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005508:Food Deprivation; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D000071421:Life History Traits; D008297:Male; D009758:Nymph / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D010063:Ovum / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D014224:Triatoma / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Chagas disease; biological factor; food deprivation; vector