查看文章

Flight dispersion is recognized as one of the most important mechanisms for triatomine house infestation. Triatoma sherlocki and T. juazeirensis are closely related species that occur within the same ecotope and their possible reproductive boundaries are unknown. T. sherlocki has shorter wings than T. juazeirensis; a characteristic that possibly implies in reduced flight dispersion, however, this species has been found to invade and colonize homes in Bahia, Brazil. Here, we tested the flight potential of T. sherlocki, compared to that of T. juazeirensis and laboratory-bred hybrids. Insects were kept in an apparatus designed to distinguish flyers from nonflyers. Fifty-one and 53% of T. juazeirensis and hybrids were flyers respectively, whereas no T. sherlocki were recorded to fly. Morphometric analysis of the main structures associated with the locomotor abilities showed that hybrids exhibited intermediate size for most of …