Ecological aspects of Rhodnius nasutus St l, 1859 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) in palms of the Chapada do Araripe in Ceará, Brazil.

Dias, Fernando Braga StehlingBezerra, Cláudia MendonçaMachado, Evandro Marques de MenezesCasanova, CláudioDiotaiuti, Liléia Gonçalves2012-11-282012-11-282008DIAS, F. B. S. et al. Ecological aspects of Rhodnius nasutus St l, 1859 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) in palms of the Chapada do Araripe in Ceará, Brazil. Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, v. 103, n.8, p.824-830, dez. 2008. Disponível em: <http://www.scielo.br/pdf/mioc/v103n8/14.pdf>. Acesso em: 28 nov. 2012.00740276http://www.repositorio.ufop.br/handle/123456789/1848The aim of this work is to present aspects related to the ecology of Rhodnius nasutus Stål, 1859 in palms from Chapada do Araripe in Ceará, Brazil. The following five species of palms were investigated: babaçu (Attalea speciosa), buriti (Mauritia flexuosa), carnaúba (Copernicia prunifera), catolé (Syagrus oleracea) and macaúba-barriguda (Acrocomia intumescens). Fifth palms were dissected (10 specimens for each species). The overall infestation index was 86%, with a total of 521 triatomines collected. The Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909 Index was 16.8% and two insects presented mixed infection with Trypanosoma rangeli Tejera, 1920. A precipitin test showed that R. nasutus from palms of Chapada do Araripe are associated with opossum and bird although other possible bloodmeals were observed. Our results showing a high index of infestation of the palms as well as T. cruzi infection, the association of R. nasutus with the most diverse species of palms and proximity of these palms to houses demonstrate the importance of this area for sylvatic T. cruzi transmission and suggest the need for epidemiological surveillance in the region of the Chapada do Araripe.en-USPalmsBrazilChapada do Araripe - CearáRhodnius nasutusEcological aspects of Rhodnius nasutus St l, 1859 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) in palms of the Chapada do Araripe in Ceará, Brazil.Artigo publicado em periodicoO periódico, Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz permite que o Repositório Institucional da Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP) deposite uma cópia eletrônica dos artigos publicados por esse periódico em que ao menos um dos autores faça parte da comunidade cientifica da UFOP. Fonte: Licença concedida por email enviado no dia 12/12/2013.