Can body traits, other than wings, reflect the flight ability of Triatominae bugs?

HERNANDEZ ML; DUJARDIN JP; GORLA DE; CATALÁ SS

REVISTA DA SOCIEDADE BRASILEIRA DE MEDICINA TROPICAL

SOC BRASILEIRA MEDICINA TROPICAL

Lugar: BRASIL; Año: 2015 vol. 48 p. 682 - 691

0037-8682

Introduction: Insects of the subfamily Triatominae are vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the Chagas disease parasite, and their flying behavior has epidemiological importance. The fl ying capacity is strikingly different across and within Triatominae species, as well as between sexes or individuals. Many Triatoma infestans individuals have wings but no fl ying muscles. In other Triatominae species, no clear relationships were found between wing length and fl ying behavior. If wing presence or size is not refl ective of the fl ying behavior, which other parts of the body could be considered as reliable markers of this important function?Methods: The genus Mepraia has exceptional characteristics with invariably wingless females and wingless or winged males. We calculated the porous surface exposed to odorant molecules to estimate the olfactory capacity of Mepraia spinolai. The head shape and thorax size were estimated using the geometric morphometric approach and traditional morphometric techniques, respectively. Results: Alary polymorphism in M. spinolai was signifi cantly associated with consistent modifi cation of the thorax size, head shape, and notable change in the estimated olfactory capacity. The macropterous individuals had a larger olfactorysurface and thorax size and signifi cantly different head shape compared to those of the micropterous individuals. Conclusions:We concluded that these structural changes could be associated with the fl ying potential of Triatominae. Thus, morphological attributes not found on wings could help determine the likely fl ying potential of the bugs.