Temperature preference in Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

The thermal preference of adults of the reduviid bug Triatoma infestans (Klug) was investigated along a temperature gradient by means of video recording. The preferred temperature varied with a daily rhythm, reaching the highest value at the onset and the lowest at the end of the dark phase. The daily range of preferred temperatures depended on the starvation level. After feeding it was about 28–29°C, and after 12 days of starvation 25–26°C. The number of eggs laid showed a bimodal pattern, with maxima at 29°C and 26°C. Along a gradient of relative humidity, the bugs were always found around 40% r.h.