Triatoma Dispar (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), A New Record for Colombia

J. Med.

29 Novernber 1984

Entornol. Vol. 21, no. 6: 750

© 1984 by the Bishop Museum

TRIATOMA DISPAR (HEMIPTERA:

REDUVIIDAE),

Abstract. Among insects collected in the Colombian Andes, a male and female of Triatoma dispar were identified. This species has not previously been reported from Colombia.

According to D' Alessandro, Barreto & Thomas (1981, Colomb. Med. 12: 75-85), the species of the genus Triatoma known from Colombia include T. dimidiata (Latreille), T. ven osa (Stal), and T. maculata (Erichson). In the recent revision of the Triatominae by Lent & Wygodzinsky (1979, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 163: 123250), the sylvatic species Triatoma dispar Lent, 1950, was reported only from Costa Rica, Panama, and Ecuador. The present paper presents the 1st report of T. dispar from Colombia. Two adult specimens of T. dispar were found in the insect collection of the Departamento de Biología, Universidad del Valle, Cali. The mal e was labelled "Col. Valle, Cent. Hid. Anchicayá 400 m V-9-1970"; the femal e had the same data but no date. The Central Hidroeléctrica de Anchicayá is a power station in the westem part of the Department of Valle del Cauca, on the Pacific Coast. D'Alessandro et al. (1981, loco cit.) reported Panstrongylus geniculatus (Latreille) and P. rufotuberculatus (Champion) from this region, and a female specimen of this last species was also present in the abovementioned collection with the same data as for T. dispar but with a date of "XI-1-70."

A NEW RECORD FOR COLOMBIA

Lent & Wygodzinsky (1979, loco cit.) described both sexes of T. dispar and gave ranges for measurements and ratios of the body parts. The Colombian specimens, while somewhat larger, agreed in general with those of Lent & Wygodzinsky (1979, loco cit.) except in the following cases where slight differences were observed: totallength of 23.2 mm, 1125.2 mm; width of pronotum 5.6 mm, 115.7 mm; maximum width of abdomen 8.7 mm, 117.2 mm; and ratio of antennal segments, 1:2.5:2.4:2.1. It should be noted, however, that the connexivum of the female was partially rolled, which may explain itssmaller width. The Central Hidroeléctrica de Anchicayá is visited almost yearly by students of general entomology classes to capture insects attracted to artificial lights or with nets. No other triatomine specimens from this 10cality have been identified in the insect collections of the Biology Department, which includes most of the insects collected through the years by many students. Both specimens of T. dispar, as well as the female of P. rufotuberculatus, are deposited in the Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.-Mauricio Barreto and Pablo Barreto, Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.