BIOMORPHOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS INDUCED BY AN ANTI-JUVENILE HORMONAL COMPOUND, 2-(2-ETHOXYETHOXY)ETHYL FURFURYL ETHER, ON 3 SPECIES OF TRIATOMINAE LARVAE (HEMIPTERA, REDUVIIDAE)

Applied topically to larvae of Rhodnius prolixus Stal, Triatoma infest ans (Klug) and Panstrongylus herreri Wygodzinsky, vectors of Trypanoso ma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease, a synthetic, furan-c ontaining anti-juvenile hormonal compound 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethyl furf uryl ether induced a variety of biomorphological alterations, includin g precocious metamorphosis into small adultoids with adult abdominal c uticle, ocelli, as well as rudimentary adultoid wings. Some adultoids died during ecdysis and were confined within the old cuticle. The exte nsion of these biomorphological responses is discussed in terms of the complexity of the action of anti-juvenile hormonal compounds during t he development of triatomines.