Insects 2017, 8(3), 90; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects8030090
Short-Range Responses of the Kissing Bug Triatoma rubida (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) to Carbon Dioxide, Moisture, and Artificial Light
1
Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
2
Department of Economics, Applied Statistics, and International Business, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
3
Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
4
Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science, New Mexico State University, Artesia, NM 88210, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editors: Changlu Wang and Chow-Yang Lee
Received: 20 June 2017 / Revised: 15 August 2017 / Accepted: 25 August 2017 / Published: 29 August 2017
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Pest Management)
Abstract
The hematophagous bug Triatoma rubida is a species of kissing bug that has been marked as a potential vector for the transmission of Chagas disease in the Southern United States and Northern Mexico. However, information on the distribution of T. rubida in these areas is limited. Vector monitoring is crucial to assess disease risk, so effective trapping systems are required. Kissing bugs utilize extrinsic cues to guide host-seeking, aggregation, and dispersal behaviors. These cues have been recognized as high-value targets for exploitation by trapping systems. A modern video-tracking system was used with a four-port olfactometer system to quantitatively assess the behavioral response of T. rubida to cues of known significance. Also, response of T. rubida adults to seven wavelengths of light-emitting diodes (LED) in paired-choice pitfall was evaluated. Behavioral data gathered from these experiments indicate that T. rubida nymphs orient preferentially to airstreams at either 1600 or 3200 ppm carbon dioxide and prefer relative humidity levels of about 30%, while adults are most attracted to 470 nm light. These data may serve to help design an effective trapping system for T. rubida monitoring. Investigations described here also demonstrate the experimental power of combining an olfactometer with a video-tracking system for studying insect behavior. View Full-TextKeywords:
kissing bugs; insect behavior; host seeking; EthoVision; olfactometer; relative humidity; light attraction; carbon dioxide
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MDPI and ACS Style
Indacochea, A.; Gard, C.C.; Hansen, I.A.; Pierce, J.; Romero, A. Short-Range Responses of the Kissing Bug Triatoma rubida (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) to Carbon Dioxide, Moisture, and Artificial Light. Insects 2017, 8, 90.
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