INTRASPECIFIC VARIABILITY OF TRIATOMA DIMIDIATA BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF ITS CUTICULAR HYDROCARBON PATTERN.

GUSTAVO CALDERÓN FERNÁNDEZ, M. PATRICIA JUÁREZ AND JUAN GIROTTI

Pinamar

Congreso; XLI Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigaciones Bioquímicas y Biología Molecular; 2005

SAIB

INTRASPECIFIC VARIABILITY OF TRIATOMA DIMIDIATA BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF ITS CUTICULAR HYDROCARBON PATTERN. Calderón F., Gustavo, Juárez M. Patricia and Girotti, Juan. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (CONICET-UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, calles 60 y 120, La Plata, 1900, Argentina. e-mail: mjuarez@isis.unlp.edu.ar   The instraspecific variability of Triatoma dimidiata (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae), a relevant Chagas Disease vector in northern Latin America, was studied by comparing the cuticular hydrocarbon profile of specimens collected from several Latin American countries. The hydrocarbon composition was analyzed by capillary gas chromatography (CGC). Principal componet analysis as well as other multivariate procedures were applied on hydrocarbon relative abundance values, in order to establish the relationship and differentiation degree between populations under study. A mixture of lineal and methyl-branched chains between 21 to more than 40 carbon atoms were detected prevailing odd-numbered components of 25 - 33 carbons. Most populations were grouped basically in accordance to their geographical vicinity. Specimens from southern Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica were grouped together and so did those from central Mexico. Northern Guatemala insects grouped with those from Yucatan (Mexico). Colombian specimens were  grouped with those from eastern Mexico, whereas specimens from Lanquin caves (Guatemala) and Belice differed markedly from all the other insects. T. dimidiata exhibit a large overall variability. Human migrations might have played an important role in its dispersion.