Triatoma dominicana sp. n. (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae), and Trypanosoma antiquus sp. n. (Stercoraria: Trypanosomatidae), the First Fossil Evidence of a Triatomine-Trypanosomatid Vector Association

Abstract

Triatoma dominicana sp.n. (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) is described from a fifth instar nymph exuvia in Dominican amber and represents the first fossil representative of this subfamily. The new species is placed in the tribe Triatomini and tentatively in the genus Triatoma on the basis of the following characters; body length of 19.5 mm, body and appendages without long hairs, antenniferous tubercles without conspicuous apicolateral projections; abdomen with a series of five median tubercles; only fourth antennal segment annulated; lateral postocular callosities absent; stridulatory sulcus present and pronotum with discal and lateral tubercles. Trypanosoma antiquus sp. n. is described from two fecal droplets adjacent to Triatoma dominicana, thus providing the first fossil evidence of a triatomine-trypanosomatid vector association. The metatrypanosome stages of the fossil are similar in size to those of T. cruzi and could be a progenitor of this species. Mammalian hairs adjacent to the fecal droplets suggest that the vertebrate host for both the triatomine and trypanosomatid was a bat. Based on these findings, it is possible that bats were the original vertebrate hosts of T. cruzi-like trypanosomes.