BIOLOGY OF TRIATOMA-NITIDA USINGER, 1939 UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS (HEMIPTERA, REDUVIIDAE)

Triatoma nitida is a wild species occurring in Mexico and Central Amer ica. In order to establish the length of its life cycle and transmissi on potential, the following parameters were observed the incubation pe riod, the interval between hatching or moulting, and the first feeding ; the number of blood meals and the time of development The time-lapse before the bite, the length of feeding and the interval between the e nd of the blood meal and defecation, as well as the site of defecation were also analyzed Average length of the egg incubation period was 18 .2 days. Time interval between the food source offering and the bite w as less than 4 min in 60% of the analyzed cases, except in the fifth i nstar, where only 38% of the insects began feeding in less than 5 min. The blood-sucking period was long and rising until the fifth instar, decreasing in adults, and ranging from 1 min to 2 and a half hours. On ly 26% of the blood meals were followed by defecations within 20 min. The average length of the life cycle was 897.5 days.