Assessment of Shape Variation Patterns in Triatoma infestans (Klug 1834) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae): A First Report in Populations from Bolivia

Abstract

The morphological variations of four populations of geographically isolated Triatoma infestans located in the area of inter-Andean valleys and Chaco of Chuquisaca, Bolivia, were evaluated. Fifty-three females and sixty-one males were collected in the peri-domicile and analyzed with geometric morphometrics tools to study the patterns of the head and wing shape variation. The principal component analysis and canonical variate analysis revealed morphological variations between the populations studied, which were then confirmed by the permutation test of the differences between populations using Mahalanobis and Procustes distances. The multivariate regression analysis shows that the centroid size influences the shape of the heads and wings. T. infestans of the inter-Andean valleys are longer in the head and wings compared to the population of the Chaco. We propose that the geometric shape variation may be explained by geographical changes in climatic conditions, peri-domiciliar habitats, food source quality, and the use of insecticides.