The biology and behavior of Triatoma barberi (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in Mexico. III. Completion of the life cycle, adult longevity, and egg production under optimal feeding conditions.

Abstract

Laboratory studies on molting, mortality, adult longevity, mating, egg production, and the feeding behavior of 1st-instar nymphs were conducted on a cohort of 37 individuals of Triatoma barberi (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) of identical under optimal feeding conditions and controlled temperature and humidity. Newly emerged 1st-instar nymphs fed between days 3 and 5 following hatch. Molting patterns were irregular in all nymphal instars, in spite of the frequency with which blood meals were offered ($\bar x$ = once every 4.2 days). The range between the first and last individual molting was 14, 130, 220, 409, and 343 days for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th instar, respectively, resulting in a wide discrepancy between the chronologic and physiologic ages of individuals in the cohort. The first adults emerged at 112 days (3.7 months) following hatch, the last adult at 455 days (1 year, 3 months). Mortality in the laboratory was low, with 3% of the 1st instars, 3% of the 2nd instars, and 14% of the 5th instars dying prior to molting. Survival in well-fed adults was high ($\bar x$ = 178 days for females, 222 days for males), with no significant difference between the sexes. Egg production in well-fed females was relatively low for triatomine ($\bar x$ = 0.8 eggs per female per postfeeding day).