Biology of Triatoma brasiliensis: II. Observations on the autogeny

Abstract

Virgin females of Triatoma brasiliensis can lay eggs even in the absence of a meal after the imaginal moult. The females reach the adult stage with a large range of body weight, which is positively correlated to the amount of blood they ingested during the 5th instar. Normally, the survical time span during starvation is related to the animal's body weight. The total number of eggs layed during the fasting period is also positively correlated to the weight of the animals. The capability of oviposition, as measured by the daily production of eggs during starvation, increases as the weight of the animals increase, ranging from 0.01 to 0.2 eggs/female/day, for females whose weight ranged from 150 to 290 mg, respectievly. These results showed that the capability of oviposition depends on the nutritional state of the animals and, probably, on the amount of blood they ingested in the 5th instar.