Heteropteran insects are characterized by holokinetic chromosomes, and, in most species, the post-reductional meiotic division of sex chromosomes and the presence of one chiasma per bivalent. The Reduviidae have a modal diploid autosomal number of 20 with a range between 12 to 34, and both simple and multiple sex chromosome systems (XY/XX, X0/XX, XnY/XnXn). Within this family cytogenetic report...

Rhodtestolin is a cardio-inhibitor that was first discovered in testes extracts of the blood-feeding insect, Rhodnius prolixus. Its role in reproduction remains unconfirmed, but if delivered to the female during spermatophore formation, it may serve to calm the female and/or relax the vaginal muscles to facilitate delivery and storage of the spermatophore. We describe here the anatomy of reprod...

A new stenopodaine reduviid, Aulacogenia darjeelingensis sp. nov. belonging to the "corniculata species group" from India is described and illustrated. A key to the Indian species of the genus Aulacogenia Stål is provided. 

A catalog of type specimens of Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera) deposited in the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil, is presented and updated to May, 2012. A total of 37 holotypes and 61 lots of paratypes of 78 species are listed in their families: Miridae and Reduviidae (infraorder: Cimicomorpha); Mesoveliidae and Velfidae (Gerromorpha); Belostomatidae, Naucorid...

BACKGROUND The reduviine assassin bug, Tiarodes miyamotoi Ishikawa, Cai and Tomokuni, 2005 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Reduviinae), has so far been known only from the Yaeyama Islands of Japan and no major intraspecific variation has been reported in this species. NEW INFORMATION This is the first record of this species from Okinawa-honto Island as the northernmost locality. Furtherm...

Chagas disease (CD) disease is a life-threatening tropical parasitic disease caused by the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. T. cruzi is typically transmitted to humans and other mammals by the bite of "kissing bugs" of the subfamily Triatominae (family Reduviidae), primarily by species belonging to the Triatoma, Rhodnius, and Panstrongylus genera. Rapidly identifying CD insect vectors in...

A new genus, Neoschidium was erected with the type genus, Neoschidium phasma (Distant). It was earlier described under Ghilianella Spinola 1850 as G. phasma Distant and later under Schidium Bergroth 1916 as Schidium phasma (Distant) by Bergroth (1916). Because it exhibits characters not only of Ghilianella and Schidium but also intermediate specific characters that are not found in both the gen...

INTRODUCTION Triatomines are targeted for the control of Chagas disease in endemic areas of Brazil. METHODS Data regarding triatomines captured during 2001-2008 in 34 municipalities in the Northeast of Minas Gerais were analyzed. RESULTS In total, 11,187 triatomines from eight species were captured, mostly in henhouses and bedrooms. Trypanosomes were found in 203 samples. Main species were ...