Chagas disease is the most prevalent neglected tropical disease in the Americas and makes an important contribution to morbidity and mortality rates in countries where it is endemic since 30 to 40% of patients develop cardiac diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, or both. In this paper, a new species of the genus Triatoma is described based on specimens collected in the Department San Miguel, Province of Corrientes, Argentina. Triatoma rosai sp. nov. is closely related to T. sordida (Stål, 1859), and was characterized based on integrative taxonomy using morphological, morphometric, molecular data, and experimental crosses. These analyses, combined with data from the literature (cytogenetics, electrophoresis pattern, molecular analyses, cuticular hydrocarbons pattern, geometric morphometry, cycle, and average time of life as well as geographic distribution) confirm the specific status of T. rosai sp. nov. Natural Trypanosoma cruzi infection, coupled with its presence mostly in peridomestic habitats, indicates that this species can be considered as an important Chagas disease vector from Argentina.

Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. This disease is distributed in 21 Latin American countries, where it is mostly vector-borne. In Brazil, there are 68 triatomine species. To date, the epidemiological surveys indicate that the state of São Paulo presents 11 species of triatomines, and most of these species have already been collected in a home environment and found to be infected with T. cruzi. Problems in correctly identifying species can lead to incorrect panorama of distribution of Chagas disease vectors. Thus, we developed an identification key for the triatomines of the state of São Paulo, based on cytogenetic data. With the exception of Panstrongylus diasi that does not present cytogenetic data available in the literature, all species were differentiated by cytogenetic characteristics. We emphasize the importance of using this key as a simple and objective tool in the entoepidemiological surveys conducted by the vector control programs.

: Triatoma sordida is an endemic Chagas disease vector in South America, distributed in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Chromosomal, molecular, isoenzymatic, and cuticular hydrocarbon pattern studies indicate cryptic speciation in T. sordida. Recently, T. rosai was described from specimens from Argentina initially characterized as T. sordida. Although several authors assume that the speciation process that supports this differentiation in T. sordida is the result of cryptic speciation, further morphological and/or morphometric studies are necessary to prove the application of this evolutionary event, because the only morphological intraspecific comparison performed in T. sordida is based on geometric morphometry and the only interspecific comparison made is between T. rosai and T. sordida from Brazil that evaluated morphological and morphometric differences. Based on this, morphological analyses of thorax and abdomen using Scanning Electron Microscopy and morphometric analyses of the head, thorax, and abdomen among T. sordida from Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay, as well as T. rosai, were performed to assess whether the evolutionary process responsible for variations is the cryptic speciation phenomenon. Morphological differences in the thorax and female external genitalia, as well as morphometric differences in the head, thorax, abdomen, pronotum, and scutellum structures, were observed. Based on this, the evolutionary process that supports, so far, these divergences observed for T. sordida populations/T. sordida subcomplex is not cryptic speciation. Moreover, we draw attention to the necessity for morphological/morphometric studies to correctly apply the cryptic species/speciation terms in triatomines.

Triatoma vitticeps is a Chagas disease vector that was found infected with Trypanosoma cruzi in homes. As this species is endemic from Brazil (Bahia, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and no study comparing the specimens from different Brazilian states was conducted, we analyzed the genetic distance (16S rDNA, Cyt b, and COI mitochondrial genes) and the chromosomal characteristics for T. vitticeps from Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and Espírito Santo. All specimens showed the same cytogenetic characteristics. On the other hand, the different mitochondrial genes demonstrated high intraspecific variation between the genetic distances of T. vitticeps from different states ranging from 2.3% to 7.2%. Based on this, our results suggest that possibly what is characterized as T. vitticeps is a complex of cryptic species (or subspecies).