Rhodnius pictipes Stål, 1872

Rhodnius pictipes Stål, 1872 View in CoL

Distribution. Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, PiauÍ, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins

Public health importance. This species is a sylvatic species with a widespread distribution in South America, naturally infected by T. cruzi and T. rangeli ( Rocha et al. 1994). It is associated with birds, bats, marsupials, rodents, lizards and sometimes into the human habitations and feed on bats, dogs, pigs, marsupials, humans, poultry ( Lent and Wygodzinsky 1979).

Remarks. It has been collected on palm trees, including Acrocomia sclerocarpa , Copernitia australis , Orbignya speciosa , Jessenia policarpa , Maximiliana regia , Scheelea spp. , Attalea sp. , and on epiphytic bromeliads ( Aechmea sp. ) ( Miles et al. 1983). The biology of this species has been studied under laboratory conditions by Rocha et al. (1994).