Thermal Tolerance Plasticity in Chagas Disease Vectors Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) and Triatoma infestans

DE LA VEGA, GERARDO J; SCHILMAN, PABLO E; BELLIARD, SILVINA A

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOC AMER

Año: 2019 vol. 56 p. 997 - 1003

0022-2585

Temperature is recognized as the most influential abiotic factor on the distribution and dispersion of most insect species including Rhodnius prolixus (Stål, 1859) and Triatoma infestans (Klug, 1834), the two most important Chagas disease vectors. Although, these species thermotolerance range is well known their plasticity has never been addressed in these or any other triatomines. Herein, we investigate the effects of acclimation on thermotolerance range and resistance to stressful low temperatures by assessing thermal critical limits and ´chill-coma recovery time´ (CCRT), respectively. We found positive effects of acclimation on thermotolerance range, especially on the thermal critical minimum of both species. In contrast, CCRT did not respond to acclimation in either. Our results reveal the plasticity of these Triatomines thermal tolerance in response to a wide range of acclimation temperatures. This presumably represents a physiological adaptation to daily or seasonal temperature variation with concomitant improvement in dispersion potential.