Significance: Rhodnius prolixus is a major vector of Chagas disease, an illness caused by Trypanosoma cruzi which affects approximately 7 million people worldwide. This report describes the first genome sequence of a nondipteran insect vector of an important human parasitic disease. This insect has a gene repertoire substantially distinct from dipteran disease vectors, including immune signaling pathways that display major departures from the canonical network. Large gene expansions related to chemoreception, feeding, and digestion have facilitated triatomine adaptation to a blood-feeding lifestyle. This study provides information about the physiology and evolution of an important disease vector that will boost understanding of transmission of a life-threatening parasite and may lead to the development of innovative control methods.

We report the first use of near-infrared spectroscopy for rapid, low-cost, noninvasive detection of Zika virus in Aedes aegypti .

Rhodnius barretti , a new triatomine species, is described based on adult specimens collected in rainforest environments within the Napo ecoregion of western Amazonia (Colombia and Ecuador). R. barretti resembles Rhodnius robustus s.l. , but mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences reveal that it is a strongly divergent member of the “robustus lineage”, i.e., basal to the clade encompassing Rhodnius nasutus , Rhodnius neglectus , Rhodnius prolixus and five members of the R. robustus species complex. Morphometric analyses also reveal consistent divergence from R. robustus s.l. , including head and, as previously shown, wing shape and the length ratios of some anatomical structures. R. barretti occurs, often at high densities, in Attalea butyracea and Oenocarpus bataua palms. It is strikingly aggressive and adults may invade houses flying from peridomestic palms. R. barretti must therefore be regarded as a potential Trypanosoma cruzi vector in the Napo ecoregion, where Chagas disease is endemic.

Triatomines, which are the vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, have been considered to be exclusive blood feeders for more than 100 years, since the discovery of Chagas disease. We offered artificial sugar meals to the laboratory model-insect Rhodnius prolixus, which is considered a strict haematophagous insect. We registered feeding by adding colorant to sugar meals. To assess putative phytophagy, fruits of the tomato Solanum lycopersicum were offered to R. prolixus and the presence of tomato DNA was assessed in the insects using PCR. We also assessed longevity, blood feeding and urine production of fruit-exposed triatomines and control insects. All instars of R. prolixus ingested sugar from artificial sugar meals in laboratory conditions. First instar R. prolixus ingested plant tissue from S. lycopersicum fruits, and this increased the amount of blood ingested and urine excreted. Decreased mortality was also observed after blood feeding. Exposure to S. lycopersicum increased longevity and reduced weight loss caused by desiccation. We describe here the first report of sugar feeding and phytophagy in a species that was considered to be a strict blood-feeder for over a century. We suggest that local plants might be not merely shelters for insects and vertebrate hosts as previously described, but may have a nutritional role for the maintenance of the triatomine vectors. The description of sugar and plant meals in triatomines opens new perspectives for the study and control of Chagas Disease.

Summary: Rhodnius prolixus is one of the most important primary vectors of human Chagas disease in Latin America. Its morphology is, however, identical to that of the members of the Rhodnius robustus cryptic species complex, which includes secondary vectors. The correct identification of these taxa with differential vector competence is, therefore, of great epidemiological relevance. We used the alignment of 26 mitochondrial cytochrome b haplotypes (663 bp) to select for PCR‐amplifiable species‐specific regions. We designed one forward primer on a region conserved across all haplotypes, and three reverse primers that anneal to species‐specific regions and amplify fragments of different lengths for R. prolixus (285 bp) and for members of the two major R. robustus lineages: group I (349 bp) and groups II–IV (239 bp). These fragments were easily identifiable on regular 1.5% agarose gels. This multiplex PCR assay was successfully tested on 81 specimens from six Latin American countries, and used to determine the phylogeographic boundaries for each species. It is a simple, objective, and cost‐effective assay. Its PCR‐based nature makes it applicable to any insect developmental stage, as well as to dried specimens, and insect remains. It should be particularly useful in areas where representatives of these Rhodnius species occur in sympatry.

Most organisms feature an endogenous circadian clock capable of synchronization with their environment. The most well-known synchronizing agents are light and temperature. The circadian clock of mosquitoes, vectors of many pathogens, drives important behaviors related to vectoral capacity, including oviposition, host seeking, and hematophagy. Main clock gene expression, as well as locomotor activity patterns, has been identified in Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus under artificial light-dark cycles. Given that these mosquito species thrive in tropical areas, it is reasonable to speculate that temperature plays an important role in the circadian clock. Here, we provide data supporting a different hierarchy of light and temperature as zeitgebers of two mosquito species. We recorded their locomotor activity and quantified mRNA expression of the main clock genes in several combinations of light and temperature cycles. We observed that A. aegypti is more sensitive to temperature, while C. quinquefasciatus is more responsive to light. These variations in clock gene expression and locomotor activity may have affected the mosquito species’ metabolism, energy expenditure, fitness cost, and pathogen transmission efficiency. Our findings are relevant to chronobiology studies and also have epidemiological implications.