Morphology and morphometry of the scutellum of six species in the genusMeccus(Hemiptera: Triatominae)

Abstract

We studied the morphology and morphometry of scutella from six species of the hemipteran genus Meccus to identify new tools to help solve taxonomic problems in closely related insect species of epidemiological relevance. Scutellum samples were observed by scanning electron microscopy and were subjected to morphometric analysis. The results mainly show differences in central depression shape, posterior process, and vestiture. We found significant dimensional differences in scutellum morphometry and a clear sexual dimorphism among species. A combination of morphology and morphometry can be used to differentiate among species of the genus

Morphological and morphometric analysis of scutella of six species and two subspecies ofTriatoma(Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in Mexico

“…T. mexicana has thin edges, while T. dimidiata and T. recurva have slightly thicker edges that appear more ornate than those of T. Mexicana . The morphology of the edges in T. dimidiata and T. recurva is similar to that described for the genus Meccus (Rivas et al ), but there are clear distinctions between the edges in Meccus compared to those in T. dimidiata and T. recurva . Thick edges are observed in T. rubida , similar to those to those in T. protracta protracta and T. protracta nahuatlae ; in the last two species the edges appear higher on the inside.…”

“…However, in these species it is similar to an isosceles triangle. This is in contrast to the scutellum of T. dimidiata , which contains a heart‐shaped central depression, similar to that observed in Triatoma delpontei, Triatoma constalimai, Triatoma infestans melanosoma, Triatoma vandae , and the six species of the genus Meccus (Takashi et al , Rivas et al ).…”

“…These subspecies are distinguished by differences in the thickness and edge surface, the central depression, the posterior process, and the width and grooves of the dorsal surface. These subspecies exhibit greater variability in scutellum morphological features than those described for the scutella of species included in the genus Meccus (Rivas et al ).…”

“…There are very few recent studies on scutellum morphology in triatominae (Takashi et al 2007, Rivas et al 2014. Here, we aim to increase the knowledge of the scutellum using scanning electron…”

“…There are very few recent studies on scutellum morphology in triatominae (Takashi et al , Rivas et al ). Here, we aim to increase the knowledge of the scutellum using scanning electron microscopy to describe and measure variation of this structure in Mexican species of Triatoma .…”