Triatoma rubrofasciata (De Geer, 1773)

Galvão, Cleber, Gil-Santana, Hélcio R. & Oliveira, Jader de, 2024, The taxonomic catalog of the Brazilian fauna: biodiversity and geographical distribution of Triatominae (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in Brazil, Zoologia (e 24006) 41, pp. 1-28 : 14

Triatoma rubrofasciata (De Geer, 1773)

Distribution. Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Pará, ParaÍba, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, São Paulo and Sergipe.

Public health importance. Triatoma rubrofasciata has been recorded in a wide range of peridomiciliary and domiciliary habitats, such as houses, livestock pens, woodpiles, and under lights, especially in association with rats. Although natural infection with T. cruzi has been reported in many cases ( Lucena and Magalhães Netto 1939, Dias and Neves 1943), and it has been known to colonize human habitations in many parts of the world, it is not commonly an active vector of Chagas disease ( Lent and Wygodzinsky 1979). However, it is usually the vector of T. conorhini (Donovan, 1909) that infects Rattus rattus since this triatomine is in close association with rats ( Lent and Wygodzinsky 1979). It is not highly anthropophilic, but bites by this species can cause dermatitis and anaphylactic shock ( Arnold and Bell 1944, Wang and Peng 2006).

Remarks. This species is the type species of the genus Triatoma and the only known triatomine with a cosmopolitan distribution. The biology of this species has been studied under laboratory conditions ( Braga et al. 1998, Cortéz and Gonçalves 1998, Braga and Lima 1999).