Vital Statistics of Triatominae (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) Under Laboratory Conditions. III. Rhodnius neglectus

RABINOVICH, J. E.; NIEVES, E. L.

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOC AMER

Año: 2011 vol. 48 p. 775 - 787

0022-2585

Abstract. Five cohorts of 100 eggs of R. neglectus were reared simultaneously in the laboratory under constant conditions (temperature 26 ± 1 °C, 60 ± 10% RH), with mortality and fecundity data recorded weekly. We calculated stage-specific development times, age-specific mortality and fecundity, stage-specific and total pre-adult mortality, and the intrinsic rate of natural increase (r0= 0.21), the finite population growth rate (l= 1.23), the net reproductive rate (R0= 314.24), and the generation time (T= 21.45 wk). Elasticity analysis showed that the dominant life-history traits determining l were the adult female survival, and the survival of instar V nymphs (molting into adult females). Adult females dominated the stage-specific reproductive value, and the egg stage dominated the stable stage distribution (SSD). The damping ratio (r = 1.11) suggests a relatively rapid period of recovery to a disturbed SSD.  Results were compared with previous values from the literature and conform relatively well, considering that environmental conditions were not always the same. Compared with two other species of the same genus (R. neivai and R. prolixus) R. neglectus ranked higher in fecundity (total eggs/♀/life) and in female longevity, intermediate in the intrinsic rate of natural increase (r0), and lower in development time and mortality. By fitting a logistic model of population growth to the density field values of a spontaneous colonization of two field experimental chicken coops we estimated the intrinsic rate of natural increase and carrying capacity parameters, and compared the former with our laboratory results.