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An entomological study of triatomine species was carried out to assess their prevalence in 10 localities of the state of Michoacán, Mexico. Entomological indices were calculated to estimate the risk for vector-borne transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi to the human population in this area. Four triatomine species (Triatoma barberi, Triatoma dimidiata, Meccus pallidipennis and Meccus longipennis) were collected from the study area. This is the first report of M. longipennis and T. dimidiata in Michoacán. M. pallidipennis was significantly (p < 0.05) more abundant than any of the other species collected in the study area. Infection indices were greater than 50% for each of the four collected triatomine species. Significantly more triatomines were collected from intradomiciliary areas than from peridomiciliary or sylvatic areas. Infestation, crowding and density indices were low, whereas colonisation indices were high in five localities. The current vectorial conditions in the study area require continuous entomological and serological surveillance to diminish the risk of T. cruzi transmission to human populations.

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Biological information is widely available for the 13 most common domestic triatomines (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) among the 30 species described in Mexico (Martínez-Ibarra et al. 2007, Salazar-Schettino et al. 2010). Information about the remaining species is scarce, primarily because these species have rarely been collected and are difficult to raise under laboratory conditions. Three of these rare species are Triatoma recurva (Stal), Triatoma protracta (Uhler) and Triatoma rubida (Uhler). Although these three species are considered to be of low epidemiological importance, specimens of at least two of these species (T. recurva and T. rubida) collected from inside human dwellings were found to be infected with Trypanosoma cruzi (Paredes-González et al. 2001, Licón-Trillo 2006, Breniere et al. 2010, Licón-Trillo et al. 2010. Studies on the behaviour of triatomine species provide a greater understanding of the habits of these insects and therefore facilitate improved decision-making regarding the priorities for vector control. To our knowledge, there has been no study of the biological parameters (life cycle and feeding and defecation behaviours) of T. recurva; in contrast, two recent studies were devoted to the examination of certain behaviours of T. protracta (Martínez-Ibarra et al. 2007, Klotz et al. 2009) and three studies focused on T. rubida (Martínez-Ibarra et al. 2005, Klotz et al. 2009, Reisenman et al. 2011. Even though the biological parameters of the two latter species have been studied previously, it is necessary to determine the particular behaviours of geographically distinct populations of the same species because it is likely that differing environmental conditions result in different behaviours for distinct populations of the same triatomine species (Licón-Trillo et al. 2010).As part of a series of studies on the biology of Mexican Triatominae, a study of the feeding and defecation behaviours and the life cycles of three Triatominae species of secondary importance in the transmission of T. cruzi to human populations in Mexico was conducted. MATERIALS AND METHODSA laboratory colony of T. recurva established in 2009 from specimens collected in Jesús María, Nayarit, Mexico, was used. A colony of T. protracta (morphologically similar to the synonymised subspecies protracta) was established in 2008 with specimens originally obtained from Caborca, Sonora, Mexico. In addition, a colony of T. rubida (morphologically similar to the synonymised subspecies uhleri) from Saucillo, Chihuahua, was included. The colonies were maintained at 25ºC ± 1ºC and 50% relative humidity (RH) ± 5% RH to match the typical habitat conditions of the three species. The colonies were fed on immobilised and anaesthetised New Zealand rabbits on a weekly basis. These rabbits were anaesthetised following the Norma Official Mexicana regulations with 0.25 mL/kg of ketamine delivered intramuscularly (SAGARPA 1999

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