Morphometric variability among the species of the Sordida subcomplex (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae): evidence for differentiation across the distribution range of Triatoma sordida

NATTERO, JULIETA; PICCINALI, ROMINA VALERIA; MACEDO LOPES, CATARINA; HERNÁNDEZ, MARÍA LAURA; ABRAHAN, LUCIANA; LOBBIA, PATRICIA ALEJANDRA; RODRÍGUEZ, CLAUDIA SUSANA; CARBAJAL DE LA FUENTE, ANA LAURA

PARASITES AND VECTORS

BIOMED CENTRAL LTD

Año: 2017 vol. 10

1756-3305

The Sordida subcomplex (Triatominae) comprises fourspecies, Triatoma garciabesi, T. guasayana, T. patagonica and T. sordida, which differ in epidemiologicalimportance and adaptations to human environments. Some morphologicalsimilarities among species make taxonomic identification, populationdifferentiation and species delimitation controversial. T. garciabesi and T. sordidaare the most similar species, having being considered alternatively two and asingle species until T. garciabesiwas revalidated, mostly based on male genitalia. More recently, T. sordida from Argentina has beenproposed as a new cryptic species distinguishable from T. sordida from Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay by cytogenetics. Westudied linear and geometric morphometry of heads, wings and pronotums frompopulations of these species aiming to find phenotypic markers for theirdiscrimination, especially between T.sordida and T. garciabesi, and  if any set of variables validates T. sordida from Argentina as a newspecies.